Into the Heart
by Vivi3030
Summary: When Link and Zelda set out on a small quest to quell regional troubles, the last thing they expect is a complete takeover of Hyrule by corrupt aristocrats. As they fight to get their country back, however, they learn that there is much more to this betrayal than greed and corruption.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you to all of you for at least clicking on and pulling up my story. This is very different than my normal writing, which has previously been in first person and branches out to very unrelated/unexpected places. This is a true Zelink fanfic, with lots of fuel for you romantic types out there. I use language, and this is the only time I'll mention it. THIS WILL NOT BE A MIDNA/LINK ANGST STORY. I'm usually pretty good about update times, too. **

**Anyways, enjoy! Please leave me a review at the end of every chapter if you can to tell me what you think. I really do appreciate every review a lot, and I promise that no matter how many any one person sends, I will never be annoyed. There's no such thing as too many reviews. **

**FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ INTO THE DARKNESS, consider this the other possibility, as if Link had never taken the job of General and, as a consequence, had never had the Mirror of Twilight recreated. Instead, he chose to stay in Ordon and lament his situation. **

Chapter 1

It had been a long two years since Midna had shattered the mirror.

Link was still adjusting to living normally again. Ordon had welcomed him as warmly as always, but had never been able to get his story out of him. It was just too painful. Too traumatic. People don't come back from experiences like that easily.

For a while, he had brooded over Midna's absence. Then, when his heart had finally let him give her up, he began brooding about everything else that he had done. He reflected on all the bloodshed he had left behind in his quest to save Hyrule. He sometimes even wondered if he had done the right thing.

Link wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned against the shovel he was using, taking a moment's rest. The sun was slowly drifting down towards the horizon, and he estimated it to be about four in the afternoon. It had been a long day of hard work. The Ordon pumpkins needed planting. The villagers had to start early in the year because of the amount of time required to grow the giant pumpkins.

To Link, it felt like he had filled at least four fields with the seeds, but a quick scan of the surrounding area told him that he was still finishing up on his first. He cursed quietly at the realization, and then sighed. A few minutes later, the field was complete

"Fado, I'm going home for the night. I'm done with this field." He called out to one of the other villagers nearby. The young man nodded and gave him a thumbs-up, but otherwise said nothing.

Link dropped his shovel off at the communal storage shed outside the village, and then made his way through the goat farm and into Ordon. Bo waved to him as he passed by, and he slapped on a big, fake smile so that the mayor wouldn't be concerned. Bo was always asking about his wellbeing, never quite venturing onto the touchy subject of his travels, but always hinting that he wanted to know about them.

_I wish I could tell you, Bo. I really do. _Link thought as he crossed the bridge into the main section of Ordon. He glimpsed Rusl returning to his house, with Uli on the front porch to welcome him home. Colin, their son, was out in the front yard beating a straw dummy to death with a wooden sword. Their two-year-old daughter, Rita, was watching him in awe.

Past the store and out of the village, Link's house awaited. It was just as he'd left it, with the front door locked, windows and shutters shut, and the lights off. This was how it would stay all night. He preferred if nobody knew he was home, because they wouldn't ask questions.

He had never truly accepted the mantle of a hero. After everything was said and done, he had refused any accolades offered to him, as well as many offers to write a biography of that eventful year he spent wandering Hyrule in search of a way to defeat the spreading darkness. Requests from Princess Zelda to allow him to be commissioned as an officer in the Hylian military had been flat out ignored. Link wanted no part in leadership. She had even traveled to his house to beg him in person, but it had been futile.

_How can I ever get people to follow me into battle if I can't even figure my own personal life out? _He had thought as he set down the sixty-eighth letter from the princess a few days before. She still hadn't given up on him, and deep down he was touched. He usually returned the letters, as long as she wasn't asking him to take a job in the military.

Link hadn't seen Zelda in months. They had kept up regular correspondence, and he valued their awkward friendship more than anything he had in his life. It was difficult simply because she was so busy, not to mention the fact that she was royalty. They hadn't spent enough time with each other during Link's adventure to become close friends outside all of the calamity of her normal life.

As he unlocked the door, Link glanced at the small mailbox. There was a slight yearning in his eyes.

_There's no way she sent another. Don't even bother looking._ He thought to himself, turning the key in the door and walking inside. _It's only been three days. I'm lucky if she sends me more than one per month._

The house was dark, as always. Link lit a candle in the kitchen and dug around in the pantry for food. There was hardly anything to choose from, but he managed to throw together some noodles and sauce for a small spaghetti dinner. It wasn't much, but it filled his stomach. That was all that mattered. Long days in the fields meant that he couldn't be stingy with the amount of food he ate.

Finally, when the light filtering through the shutters dimmed, Link made his way up to his bed.

_Just another day. _He thought sadly as he crawled under the covers and peered through the shutters into the evening sky. A year before, he would have thought of Midna and fallen into a deep depression. Now, though, he simply enjoyed being alone and watching the sunset. It helped him to stay sane.

_Another day tomorrow._ He reminded himself when the sun had dropped below the horizon.

_And another day after that._

_And another._

_And another._

_And another._

_And another._

Another exasperated sigh escaped Link's lips as he rolled over and pulled the sheets up to his neck. He knew he shouldn't resent the life he had been given by the villagers in Ordon, but he couldn't help it. Goat herding and pumpkin growing were near the bottom of his list of interests.

"But what's at the top of that list?" He whispered to himself. It was an interesting question. He knew everything that he _didn't _want to do, but nothing that he _did_.

In fact, the only thing he was sure about was that he needed a change. This life was making him miserable.

He was amazed at how much he had changed from the eighteen-year-old boy that had left Ordon to save his friends. In one year, he had become a man.

He had also become a recluse. He held no fantasies about it. The only people he talked to on a regular basis were Rusl, Bo, and Fado.

As Link reflected over everything going on, his mind drifted to Ilia. She had gone absolutely crazy when she got back home, calling him her savior and nagging him constantly to try to get to the bottom of his reclusiveness.

**BREAK**

"_This is how I cope with it." Link said, hoping that Ilia would drop the subject. It was a futile effort, though. Ilia never dropped the subject._

"_That doesn't matter!" She snapped angrily. "I'm trying to help you. You know that I care about you. Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you doing this to me?"_

_It was more of an accusation than a question._

"_You're just making it worse." Link replied, managing to hold his calm demeanor together. He didn't want to raise his voice at her. That wasn't how he handled anger._

"_How could I possibly be making it worse?" Ilia growled. "It can't get any worse than it is now. All you do is mope in your house all day unless you're out in the fields. I haven't seen you in months. In fact, the only person I ever saw you let in was that funny brown-haired Hylian girl who came here last week. In the middle of the night, I might add. Why are you letting strange women in your house, but not even talking to me?"_

"_I don't see how that's any of your business." He shot back, having had quite enough of this conversation. He was alarmed that Ilia had seen Zelda. She had specifically travelled late at night so as not to attract attention. Even Link hadn't known that she was coming. "It's definitely not what you're thinking."_

"_Yeah, sure." Ilia scoffed. "I also noticed that you weren't in the fields the next day, but I never saw her leave. What's happened to you?"_

"_That's crossing a line." Link growled, trying not to show his fury. "Were you watching my house all night?"_

"_Yes, because I was concerned about you!"_

_Link clenched his fists tightly and took a deep breath. Once he had calmed down, he spoke in a more even tone._

"_Ilia, you need to stop doing that. We've been over this before." He started, staring her dead in the eyes to make sure his point got across. "You're not my mother. I don't feel comfortable with you knowing everything about my personal life. Especially when all you're going to do is accuse me of things I'm not doing."_

"_What do you mean you're not comfortable with me knowing…" Ilia trailed off, staring at Link in disbelief. "When did that start? We've always been so close. I know everything about you! You've never been bothered by that before!"_

"_No, you only think you know me." He said, shaking his head. "I've changed. I'm not who you grew up with. I've been to hell and back. That changes anyone."_

"_Then why don't you just talk about it?!" Ilia was completely exasperated now. "Maybe if you talked about it, we could go back to how we used to be!"_

"_You think that talking about all the things I had to do will magically make them all disappear from my memory?" Link shot back. "You live in some fantasy world where you think that I want to go back to the way everything was before. Despite the burden that these memories are, I would never change what happened. I don't want or need help. Stop trying to force it on me."_

_He turned on his heel and walked away from Ordona's Spring, where they had been arguing. Ilia stared after him in shock, but for once in her life didn't attempt to stop him. _

**BREAK**

Link's night was filled with dreams of Ilia, Zelda and, surprisingly, Midna. Despite his bad memories before bed, the dreams had turned out to be surprisingly good, specifically when they involved Zelda.

"I should go see her." He muttered. It would be a nice change of pace, even though Fado definitely needed his help planting the fields. A few days off wouldn't affect anything in the long-term, though. He had weeks of planting left.

There simply weren't enough villagers, though. Even with every hand helping, their giant Ordon pumpkins would be growing too late into the season and be susceptible to frost damage in the later months. Late October was a dangerous time to still be growing pumpkins. One bad night could ruin thousands of plants.

As he ate a quick breakfast, Link shook off the notion of visiting Castle Town. As excited as he would have been to see his friend and the newly built castle, it just wasn't feasible. Fado definitely wouldn't let him go. Rusl and Bo certainly wouldn't be happy about it if he ditched them.

He was going to spend another hard day in the field whether he liked it or not. The day came and went without incident, and Link spent the next evening much the same as he had the day before, even down to having spaghetti again. Ilia knocked on the door three separate times, but he ignored her. He didn't want to talk to her. She always talked about the same things.

When he thought about it, he realized how much she had been nagging him about "that brown-haired Hylian girl." She brought it up almost every time they talked, and seemed way too interested in finding out who it was. For obvious reasons, he wasn't going to tell her that the monarch of Hyrule had made a secret nighttime visit to his house. That was sensitive information.

That night, Link crawled into bed and dreamt of his travels, like he usually did, and then woke up to another day in the field. He went about the same process, completing day after day. Time began to pass by in the blink of an eye as the days ran together. Many lonely nights blended together just as well, and his life settled into an unhappy routine, which was usually the case during planting season.

A month passed before all of the fields were planted. As was the tradition, Mayor Bo planted the final seed. In the fall, he would harvest the first and last pumpkins. When the last seed was planted, every villager cheered, although Link did for a very different reason than the rest. The long days of hard labor didn't bother him. Instead, he found himself hating his place in life more and more by the day.

It was time for a change, but he didn't know what to do.

_I could always take Zelda up on that offer of a commission into the military. _He mused as he walked back from the final seed planting ceremony. The idea was farfetched, though. He knew that he could never be an effective officer. He would never be a good soldier, either. He had grown up with too much freedom and too little respect for any chain of command. Even Zelda's authority didn't bother him too much. He still saw her as a person, rather than a monarch.

As he walked back through Ordon towards his house, he felt a small hand grab his and stop him.

"Link, stop."

Her paused, recognizing Colin's voice.

"How's it going, Colin?" He asked, turning around to face the teenage boy. Colin was still young, but had filled out well in the past few years. He was losing his young boy look and turning into more of a man. He had hard, wiry muscle from hours spent practicing swordplay with both Link and his father, Rusl.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to come practice fighting with me for a little while now that planting season is over." He said nervously. "My father taught me a few things that I've been practicing, and I think I'll last longer."

Link looked at the sun, gauging the time. It was early morning, as the ceremony had, for obvious reasons, lasted only enough time to plant one seed.

"I've got some time. Do you want to use wooden swords?" He asked, altering his course and walking towards Rusl's house.

"Yeah, probably just wooden ones." Colin said, nodding. "I wouldn't want to hurt you when I win."

Link just laughed as he jumped over the creek. Colin followed right behind him, and then sprinted into his house to grab the practice swords. Link had made them a year before when Colin suffered an infection from a cut he had inflicted on accident. They were getting too light, but they would work for a few months. Colin certainly wasn't the only one that had been bulking up recently. Many of the women in the village had commented on how big Link's arms had grown.

The thought brought a small grin to Link's lips. He didn't remember having enjoyed the attention of women before he left originally, but it certainly mattered now. He chalked it down to being older and having had more time to think about it. It surprised him that he was more excited about it at twenty-one than he had been at eighteen, but shrugged it off as Colin ran out the door.

"You ready?" Link asked as Colin tossed him the larger sword.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Same rules as always?"

Link nodded.

"And exactly what rules are those?" Came a voice from behind Link. He turned around to see Mayor Bo watching them curiously.

Without warning, Link felt a sharp pain in his left side, and fell back away as Colin grinned triumphantly.

"There are no rules."

"Damn it, kid." Link groaned, clutching his side and fending off another blow.

"Hey, don't blame me." Colin taunted. "You're the one who made the rule about there being no rules."

Link took a deep breath and forced the pain from him mind. As he did so, he drew himself up to full height. Colin balked for a moment as he realized what he was up against, and Link took full advantage of his hesitation. He drove his sword hard into the boy's left side, where he only managed a panicked parry. A feint to the right with a quick twist brought the wooden sword down onto Colin's thigh.

Colin jumped back, more startled than actually hurt by the hit.

"Never lose focus." Link lectured, getting into his battle stance again. He lunged, driving the sword towards the boy's throat. At the last second, he dropped the point to the ground and used it to plant himself while he delivered a swift kick to the chest, which sent the boy flying.

"Just because I'm six foot five doesn't mean that you should be any more afraid of me." He continued, circling Colin as he crawled back to his feet. "You should be happy about that, simply because I'm a bigger target. Remember that I won't always use my sword as a weapon. I just caught you completely off guard with a kick, which would have left you open to any killing blow as you lay on the ground."

Colin was up faster than normal, circling carefully. Link was impressed with the boy's resilience. He would keep standing up until his body gave out or Link made him stop, which took immense determination. He had yet to make any kind of 'fatal' blow on Link, but was certainly getting the hang of things. In his eyes, Link could see a fire burning that would carry the boy far. If he were to move to Hyrule and join the military like his father had, he would be one of the greatest soldiers Link had ever known.

This time, Colin lunged, but twisted to Link's right. Link deflected the attack easily, and then knocked aside the lightning fast uppercut that followed. While Colin was reeling slightly, he brought the sword down on his arm, only to feel it smack into the dirt.

"Gotcha." Coin grinned. He had dodged the blow, and threw another one at Link's head. This one seemed too obvious. The fist that snaked out towards his stomach was just as easily deflected as the sword.

"You're trying to use my own tricks on me now?" Link asked with a light laugh. "I'm flattered."

Colin struck out again, this time at Link's wrists. Just as Link moved to deflect the attack, he twisted around and struck at his right side, but feigned again and barely managed to catch his left hand on the tip of his sword.

"Excellent." Link said, taking a step back. Colin, however, didn't stop to hear praise. Instead, he dove in again and pounded Link with a flurry of attacks, putting him completely on the defensive side of the fight. He parried blow after blow, but was stunned by Colin's speed. He had definitely been getting stronger over the past months.

Finally, Link caught a crack in Colin's offense and drove his fist into it. The boy fell back, but shook his head and drove forward again.

"Damn." Link muttered as he was forced to parry more attacks, surprised that Colin was still fighting. Before, he wouldn't have been able to keep going so quickly after a gut punch like that.

A quick glance around told him that a small crowd had gathered, including Rusl and Uli. Both parents enjoyed watching their son learn, and weren't overly concerned when he was knocked around. They both considered it a learning experience. The notion was working. Every time Link and Colin sparred, the younger boy would last longer. He was learning from his mistakes.

And then, in a moment of overzealousness, Colin dropped his defense to try and take Link out in one powerful blow. Within half a second, Link had kicked Colin's sword out of his hand and knocked him to the ground. He dropped on top of him and planted a knee on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"No matter how much of an upper hand you may believe you have, never underestimate your opponent and what he is still capable of." Link said sternly, holding the point of his sword under the boy's chin. "And never opt for power over precision. A real sword would never need that much power behind it to cut a man to shreds."

Colin nodded, and Link stood up, allowing him to breathe again. He helped the boy to his feet, and then dropped the stern expression.

"That was fantastic, Colin." He said, genuinely smiling at him. "You've learned a lot since the last time we did this. I've never seen you move so fast."

"It still wasn't good enough to beat you." He muttered unhappily.

"I have much more experience than you. That's not your fault. You'll surpass me one day soon if you keep improving like this."

Many of the people in the surrounding crowd clapped and cheered as Link and Colin dusted themselves off. As Link peered around, he saw Ilia standing beside her father. She was giving him a familiar stare. Link was going to have to talk to her whether or not he wanted to. She had caught him out in the open, and he wasn't going to have a moment of peace until he answered all of her questions.

"Wonderful." He whispered to himself, amazed at the amount of sarcasm he could put into a single word.

"We're done, Colin." Link said, putting off his dread of having to talk to Ilia for a few moments. "It looks like I smacked your nose, so you might want to go wash the blood off of it."

Colin wiped his nose curiously, and jumped when he saw that I had been right.

"Oh wow, I never even noticed."

"I got stabbed through the thigh once during a fight and had no idea until an hour later." Link said, grimacing as he remembered the pain that had come only after he had seen the wound. "You have so much adrenaline running through you during a fight that your body stops focusing on pain."

Link patted Colin on the back and handed him the wooden swords before turning back to head towards his house. The gathered crowd dispersed quickly, but Link could almost feel Ilia breathing down his neck as she followed closely behind.

When he got to his house, Link climbed the ladder to his door and unlocked it. After a short pause to steel his nerves, he allowed Ilia inside.

"Where have you been?" She asked quietly, although her voice had a deadly edge on it.

"Here." Link answered. "I haven't left Ordon since planting season started."

"That doesn't answer my question." Ilia said, giving him a knowing look. "Where have you been in all your free time? Why have you been hiding in your house and never answering the door when I knock? What's going on in here? Why are you doing this? Can't you ever just talk about what's wrong? Why-"

"Stop!" Link cut in, interrupting her long string of questions. "We've been over this before. I'm just a different person than I used to be. I don't enjoy running around the village like a little kid anymore. Sometimes we all have to grow up."

Ilia looked deeply hurt. "What do you mean 'running around the village like a little kid?' What's that supposed to mean? And why do you keep telling me that you're just a different person? People don't just change like that!"

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" Link growled, almost immediately regretting it. Ilia's eyes went wide, and then filled with tears. She leaned against a wall, put her head into her hands, and began to sob.

"Oh come on. No-" Link was completely exasperated already. He reached out to grab her hand. "Ilia, don't cry. You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Why can't you just be who you used to be?" She choked out between sobs as she pushed his hand away. "I miss who you were. I don't like this new you."

"I'm sorry." Link said, shaking his head sadly. "Sometimes these things happen. We can't always help it. I certainly couldn't."

Ilia was silent for a few minutes, save for the quiet cries. Finally, she looked up at Link with bloodshot eyes and spoke again.

"Who is that woman?"

"What are you talking about?" Link asked, although he knew exactly what she meant. "Is this what's been bothering you for the past few months?"

"Yes!" She shouted. "Of course it bothers me!"

"And why is that?"

"Because…because…It just does!"

"The people I keep company with in my free time bother you?" Link scoffed. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that my free time was dictated by your rules."

_I feel like a politician with how well I just avoided her question. _He thought to himself, finding some humor in the situation.

"How can you ever say that to me? Don't you realize what I'm going through?" Ilia asked, switching back to her dangerously calm voice.

"Sounds like you're bi-polar."

That set her off again, and she started raging. "Do you have _any _idea what kind of future I wanted with you?! Do you know how many years I've loved you?! I won't be treated like this! I've spent so much time worrying about you and wanting you back, but you never really came back! You're just an emotionless shell! Who the hell is that woman?!"

_Never mind. I guess I would be an awful politician. _

"You love me?" Link asked. It was obvious, and always had been. Ilia had had a crush on him since they had been very young, but had never truly admitted it. He had never shown her any kind of affection or signs that he returned her feelings, simply because he only thought of her as a friend. That was all she would ever be. He had hoped that she would have given up on the crazy notion that they were star-crossed lovers destined to be happily together for the rest of their lives.

Ilia didn't get a chance to answer his question, though.

"That _woman _is my friend." Link seethed. "One who doesn't constantly nag me about every minor detail she thinks is wrong with me. One who doesn't stalk me and watch my house at night. One who I can actually open up around because she went through the same thing I did."

"And yet you still avoid the question." Ilia said, having calmed down considerably. She was having mood swings every few seconds.

"That's because I don't owe you an answer." Link replied, wanting the discussion to be over. "I realize that you're jealous, but there's nothing going on between her and I."

"Are you just going to ignore the fact that I told you I love you?" She asked, as if she were expecting him to return the phrase.

"No, I'm not going to ignore it." He said, finally getting a grip on his nerves.

"Then what are you going to say?"

He took a deep breath and prepared for the storm. After a few seconds, he spoke.

"I will never love you like you love me. We won't be together. Ever. Move on from me. You're living your life in the vain hope that I'll return to the eighteen-year-old boy who left Ordon on a mission to save his village. I'm not that person anymore. I will never be that person again. I'm different, and there's no way to change me back. I won't even be staying in Ordon for much longer. So go, and stop clinging to the hope that I'll love you."

With that, Link opened the front door in the most blatant, obvious gesture that he could think of. Ilia stared at him for the most awkward minute of his life, showing no emotion besides complete and utter shock. This had been the last thing on her list of possibilities. She had grown up with the expectation that this moment would be followed by a steamy lovemaking session.

This possibility had never even crossed her mind.

"Just go, please." Link said after a while. He couldn't stand this anymore.

Without a word, Ilia took a few steps forward and left the house. Link closed the door and bolted it shut behind her. With that, he leaned back against the door and sighed heavily.

"This day is awful already." Link muttered to himself. He stood up and began walking away from the door.

"MR. LINK! WAAAAAAIT!"

"Holy crap!" Link nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice outside his door.

"Mr. Link! I have something for you!"

"Dear goddesses, postman." Link yelled, unbolting the door. "You scared me half to death!"

He flung open the door to reveal the ever-stranger postman, dressed in his normal short white shorts, tank top, red hat, and corny flag.

"Greetings, Mr. Link!" He exclaimed, way too excited about the fact that he was delivering mail. "I have-"

"Come to deliver a letter." Link finished. The postman beamed in excitement that he had memorized his standard greeting. "Who's it from?"

"It is a letter from Princess Zelda." He replied.

Link's heart leaped out of his chest. It had been months since he had gotten a letter from her. He had begun to think that she had forgotten about him, since the two he sent were never returned.

"Thank you." Link said, smiling.

"Well, my business is concluded!" The postman said, snapping a sloppy salute. "Onward to mail!"

With that, he turned around, jumped off the ladder, and hit the ground running. Link turned around and managed to make it to the kitchen table before tearing the letter open as quickly as he could.

_Dear Link,_

_I'm sorry that I wasn't able to return the two letters you sent me over the last few months. Hyrule is having some problems that were taking all of my time. There's been some issues with nomad tribes coming in from the eastern country of Celtica. They're causing mayhem for the towns and villages around there. The issues seem to have come to a standstill for now, so I finally had a few hours where I could sit down and write back. _

_The court is the same as always. Most of them are vultures, waiting for me to make any tiny mistake. They think that my young age makes me ignorant. I'm used to that. Unfortunately, I believe that one or more of them sent an assassin after some of my advisors, including Shad. Shad escaped the attempt, but the others weren't so lucky. Currently, I have no advisors, as I sent Shad somewhere safe._

_I was hoping that you would be willing to come to Hyrule Castle to hear about something. I promise I won't be begging you to become an officer in the military. You will be free to refuse, but all I ask is that you come here to hear me out. _

_Please write me back soon and let me know if you will be coming._

_Sincerely,_

_Zelda_

Link's mind immediately began working overtime trying to figure out what this "something" could be.

"What could she possibly want?" He whispered to himself, staring around at his house as he forced his curiosity down.

He read the letter again three separate times just to be sure that he wasn't hallucinating. Sure enough, it read the same every time.

As Link began to think hard about what Zelda's letter had meant, he moved over to the slightly old newspaper sitting on his table and began to flip through it. There might have been some clues as to what her offer was related to had the entire thing not been devoted to nitpicking every detail of what she did. Almost all of the articles were scathing personal accounts of some 'heinous crime against humanity' that Zelda had committed.

They had no idea who Zelda really was, and it made Link furious. They hadn't seen what she was capable of. They hadn't seen her sacrifice herself to save Midna. They hadn't seen her ride behind Link and shoot Ganondorf down. Her critics focused on minute details, such as the way she dressed, or the things she said. One journalist had even put an article in Hyrule's newspaper about how "bored and disinterested" Zelda was in her country because she "failed to dress to the standards of a princess."

It was ridiculous. This new media was controlled by the aristocrats, who were trying to use it to turn the people against their princess.

Link figured that even if he were to turn down whatever offer she had, he could at least distract her from her normal stressful life for a little while. And in any case, it wouldn't hurt him to get out of Ordon for a day or two.

Having decided this, Link sat down to pen his reply.

_Your majesty Princess Zelda Nohansen_

_I would be honored to hear whatever you have to say to me. I will travel to Hyrule Castle as soon as possible. Expect me…_

Link stopped when a different idea formed in his head.

"I could always give her a response in person." He muttered to himself, smiling at the thought. He needed a break from Ordon only slightly less than Zelda needed one from the castle.

For the first time in over a year, Link walked over to the kitchen window and opened the shutters. The cool breeze flowed into his tree house, penetrating every nook and cranny with the fresh scent of the outdoors. More windows followed, until the entire house was filled with the bright midmorning light.

When he was done, Link took a step outside to check the sun, and determined that it couldn't be past ten-thirty.

"I could make it to Castle Town before she gets in bed." He muttered to himself, suddenly glad that he lived in a secluded area. If any of the villagers saw him talking to himself as often as he did, they would think he had finally snapped and gone mad.

"Whoa! Look at that!"

Link looked down to the source of the voice to find Talo and Beth, the two young Ordon lovers, staring at him in amazement.

"What's wrong?" He asked to two of them, curious as to why they looked so astonished.

"You're…outside." Beth started in disbelief. "Your windows are open and you're outside in your free time. What's going on? You haven't done this for years!"

"Did breaking up with Ilia make you this happy?" Talo asked genuinely.

"No, that's not…Wait. Hey! I didn't break up with Ilia! We were never together!" Link said defensively. "And no, rejecting her didn't make me happy."

"Then why are you so happy?" Beth asked.

"Don't worry about it." Link replied, smiling at the two adolescents. "It's just become a very good day for me."

With that, he went back in his house, leaving two very confused teenagers standing outside.

**BREAK**

When he was fairly sure that nobody was watching, Link bailed out of his house and sprinted to Ordona's Spring, where Epona was waiting. As quickly as possible, he saddled her and set off towards Faron Woods.

The trip to Hyrule Castle wasn't particularly long, but he didn't arrive until after the sun had set. As he left the stables and entered the gate, he was reminded of how busy Castle Town could be at night. People were everywhere. There were more people in any given alley than there were residents of Ordon, and yet Link didn't feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, the hooded cloak he wore prevented the people from recognizing him. He had made the mistake of walking the streets unhooded once, and it ended up in him running away from a large crowd of adoring teenage girls.

Without the light from the sun, it was hard to make out more than the outline of the new castle. Its size was certainly impressive, but the other details were mostly obscured. A few burning torches placed on the battlements revealed enough guards to stop an army.

Link approached the gates cautiously, taking his hood off as soon as he left the light of the central square. He didn't want to scare a young, inexperienced gate guard.

"Who goes there?" One of the five guards at the gate asked as he approached.

"Link of Ordon." He replied, holding his hands up in the air so that they could see he had no weapons, having left the Master Sword in the stables with Epona. It was in no danger of being stolen, as only he could pick it up.

"What business do you have in-"

"You're Link?" Another guard exclaimed loudly. By the look of him, he was young. He had probably gotten in trouble and been assigned overnight gate duty.

"Hush." Link snapped. "Do you want the entire city to come charging this way?"

The original guard turned around and smacked the younger one on the helmet. "Hush, boy. You're going to get us overrun if you act stupid like that." He turned back to me. "Welcome, Link. I apologize that I didn't recognize you at first. What brings you to the castle after so long?"

"I have some business to attend to with Princess Zelda." Link replied, glad that there would be no harassment by guards who didn't know him. "I'm afraid that that's all I can share with you. Could I enter, please?"

"Absolutely. I trust that you're not planning anything funny after wandering around for a year in an attempt to save our monarch." He said, clapping loudly. The guards at the top of the wall pulled their levers, and the gate opened almost completely silently.

Link chuckled as he walked past. "Not anything in particular, although sometimes I have a knack for causing trouble."

The younger guard broke away from the group and walked next to Link, who peered at him curiously.

"What are you doing?" He asked the soldier.

"I was planning on escorting you." He replied. "That's part of the new rules, unfortunately. Some people don't believe that the princess can handle herself in a fight because of what happened with Zant."

"I would certainly hope someone is escorting me." Link said. "I have no idea where her room is, and I could be a Link look-alike who is planning on assassinating the princess of Hyrule. I'm sure she would appreciate it if you didn't allow anyone to walk around her castle unattended. However, I wanted to know what you're actually doing. Based on the look you're giving me right now, you have more motivation for following me than simply being an escort."

The guard looked around nervously, and Link knew that he had hit the nail on the head.

"Well now that you mention it." The guard started awkwardly. "I was hoping that you would autograph something for my son. He's a big fan of yours, and I've been doing gate guard duty for over a year in the hopes that I could find you."

"What do you need me to autograph?" Link asked. He was used to this. After Hyrule had been saved, everyone had wanted his autograph.

The soldier opened his satchel to pull out a leather-bound book and a quill.

"This is your biography. He bought this with money he had saved up. I think he's read it about fifty times, and it would certainly make his day if I could get you to sign it."

Link stared at the book inquisitively. "My biography?"

"Yes. It's the one Princess Zelda had published a few months ago."

"Hmmm, interesting." Link muttered, taking the book and quill. In the front cover, he signed his name, and then blew the ink dry. When he was done, he shut the cover and looked at the title.

_The Twilight Princess_

_By Zelda Nohansen_

"Interesting that I've never even seen my own biography." He said as he handed the book back.

"You never heard that she had written this? It's a complete account of your adventures from the time she melded her mind with Midna's." The guard said. "She also included how Zant achieved his power, as well as the final battle with Ganondorf."

Link nodded. He was somewhat disappointed that Zelda hadn't asked him for permission before publishing the book, but chalked it down to her being allowed to do pretty much anything she wanted.

_Actually, _he mused to himself, _she did ask. I said I would prefer if she didn't. I never actually said no._

The guard led Link through the halls of the castle. From the inside, it was obviously new. The floors and walls shined, and the tapestries had been hung recently. All of the suits of armor were well polished, and it was quite a bit warmer and more accommodating than the original castle had been.

"Soldier, what do you think about our princess?" Link asked curiously. "Strictly off the record. I won't repeat anything you say."

The guard looked nervous, but answered the question.

"I don't truly know what to think. This whole 'newspaper' thing that the council started devotes most of its time to insulting her and picking on her for trivial things. Sometimes I wonder if she's not just a regular person held to extreme expectations. I haven't noticed anything but improvement in Hyrule since she's been the ruling monarch, so I don't know why the paper bashes her."

"So you think that they're attacking her character and personal life rather than her policies?" Link asked.

"I think so. All they do is make a mountain out of a molehill, in all honesty. There's a lot of folks saying that we should elect our leaders, though. I can't say I disagree with that, either. Anyways, this will be her room at the top of this tower. There's nothing else on these stairs, so you don't have to worry about getting lost. I'll let her personal guards do their thing. Thank you for signing that book."

"No problem." Link replied, subtly dropping a red rupee into the soldier's pocket. "Thank you for taking me here."

The guard nodded in appreciation of the tip, and then turned around and walked back towards the front of the castle. Link headed up the tower stairs.

After what felt like hours of climbing the spiral staircase, he finally got to the top, where an entire platoon of guards stopped him at the points of their spears. This room was almost pitch black, so the guards couldn't make out his face.

"Who are you and why are you up here at night?" One of them asked. Link guessed that he was the sergeant in charge of the platoon.

"I'm Link of Ordon. I'm here to request an audience with her majesty Princess Zelda."

"At ten at night? I think not. You can come back in the morning and attend court to address your concerns with her there."

"All I ask is that you tell her I'm here."

"Corporal Kent, please escort this man back downstairs and out of the castle."

"Sergeant, this is Link." One of the other guards dared to speak up. "He just said so. And even if you won't take his word, just look at him."

"Yes, I'm sure he is. Now get him out."

Link had had enough of this. "Zelda!" He shouted as loud as he could. "I have a problem! It's Link!"

The sergeant cursed loudly and slapped the shaft of his spear into Link's side, although his thick traveling clothing absorbed most of the impact.

"Arrest him!"

The guards began scrambling around, trying to get a hold of Link as he jumped back and forth, nimbly dodging them. Again, he called for Zelda, hoping that she could hear him.

The double doors leading to Zelda's room flew open with a crash, causing all of the chaos in the antechamber to cease immediately. In the doorway stood the princess of Hyrule, dressed in a pink and white nightgown. She looked furious.

"What the _hell_ are you idiots doing?" She demanded of the sergeant, who cowered in fear.

There was no answer, so Zelda walked over to Link and shoved the guards out of the way.

"If Link ever wants in, I don't care what time of night it is. You will never stop him again. Is that clear?"

All of the guards nodded like small children who had just been spanked for misbehaving.

"Good. Now that that is cleared up, you will all return to your posts and maintain professionalism, especially when dealing with our hero."

With that, Zelda took Link's hand and led him through the double doors. Once they were through, she shut them carefully and led him further into her bedroom, which was more like a small mansion.

In the main living area, she reached over to the table and lit a candle, allowing Link to see her more clearly. She was beautiful. There was no denying that. Her long brown hair was down, save for two thick braids on either side of her face that were tucked behind her ears. Her face was the picture of beauty. The nightgown she wore left much to the imagination, but Link preferred modesty to the alternative.

"Hello, your majesty." He said with an easy grin.

"Hello, Link." She returned the smile. "Why are you here after dark? Are you responding to my letter?"

"Well, I decided to deliver my response myself." Link said. "And I simply needed to get out of Ordon before I went crazy."

The princess chuckled slightly. "Well then, what's your response?"

"What was the 'something' you wanted to talk to me about, your majesty?" Link asked.

"Sit." She said, gesturing to a chair by the table. Link pulled her chair out from the table first before sitting down, earning a curious look.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked, glancing around nervously.

"Not at all. Actually, I'm impressed. I thought chivalry was dead." She said with a smile before sitting down. "On to the topic, though. I believe I mentioned the nomads from Celtica being a problem in the letter I sent you, yes?"

Link nodded, so she continued. "I have a plan to drive them away, but it's above the skill set of the average soldier. It requires stealth and precision, as well as quite a bit of luck. The Celts are a very superstitious people, and I plan on giving the remaining tribes something to be afraid of."

"I was considering multiple possibilities, but finally I decided on one that would be best. I read some of the Celt prophecies, and one of the more prominent ones is that seventeen of their voodoo priests will burst into flames and wreak havoc among their people."

Link nodded, seeing where she was going with this.

"So you want to light seventeen of their voodoo priests on fire in an attempt to scare them out of Hyrule?"

"Exactly. As gruesome as it is, I believe that it's the only way to truly get them out." Zelda replied. "We tried military force, but their fighters are incredibly good at what they do. The important part of this plan is to not get caught. I need someone who can slip in, light exactly seventeen priests on fire, and then slip back out. I need your help."

Link stared at the princess for a long minute, deciding whether or not she was serious. Finally, when he decided that she was, he responded.

"I haven't fought anyone in over two years, your majesty. At least not in a life or death situation. I don't have the same skill set I did when we took down Ganondorf two years ago. Farm life makes people forget those things."

"If all goes well, you won't have to fight." Zelda replied. "And I feel fairly certain that you will remember quickly. Don't forget that you went into your first adventure knowing virtually nothing about how to wield a sword, and yet managed to defeat Zant, Ganondorf, and myself with ease. You have a vast amount of natural talent."

"With all due respect, your majesty, there's a huge difference in this job and what I've done in the past." Link said. "I never had to be overly secretive when Zant was watching me. Ganondorf was watching me the whole time, so his minions always knew where I was. This…this is different."

"And yet, you don't act like you're going to refuse." Zelda said, cocking an eyebrow at him inquisitively. "Or am I reading you wrong?"

"I don't know, your majesty." He replied, shaking his head. "I was getting used to the whole peaceful lifestyle thing. I've never really thought too much about being a soldier again. I'd imagine you remember my responses to your request to commission me into the military."

"Yes, I remember them clearly." The princess said, but cut to the chase. "Will you do the job or not?"

Link debated the question for a few seconds before responding.

"You could order me to do it. You have every resource at your disposal to force me to travel east and complete the job or die trying. Why is it that you're not doing that, your majesty? Why go through all this with a stubborn goat herder? It's not like I'd have a choice if you ordered me to go."

"It's crossed my mind a few times." Zelda replied with a sigh. "But that's not how I do things. If I have to order you to do this, you'll resent me for it. So I'm forced to beg. I need an answer, though."

Link stared at the princess curiously. She was begging him, of all things. It seemed so backwards.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline, your majesty."

Zelda's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"

"I've seen enough blood and violence for a lifetime. I don't think I can subject myself to more without being permanently scarred from it." Link explained, hoping that it would be enough. "And I'm needed in Ordon."

"I can send a few people to replace you in the fields while you're absent." The princess offered, but Link shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I just can't do it, your majesty."

Zelda sighed and leaned back in her chair. After a few seconds, she stood up and walked over to the nearby window, which provided a fantastic view of Castle Town and the surrounding countryside. For a few moments, she just stared out the window absently.

"Link, I'm going to be going to do the job. I was going to accompany you, but it looks like I'll be going alone."

Link sat up a little straighter. "You're…going? Surely there's another way. You can't put yourself in harm's way like that. What if something were to happen to you?"

"Then this country will move on. As it stands, the aristocrats are trying to get rid of me anyways. I am not so helpless as you may believe, though. For the past ten years, I've been receiving training in the ancient Sheikan arts, passed down through my bloodline from the Sage of Time and the Hero of Time. I will not be in much danger."

Link wasn't surprised by the admission. He had always assumed that Zelda hadn't made it through Zant's invasion with luck alone, and she had proven herself accustomed to the heat of combat when they fought alongside one another to defeat Ganondorf.

However, he wouldn't let the princess go face a strange enemy alone. No matter what his personal feelings about the job were, he would put them aside to make sure that Zelda never came to any harm.

"You leave me no choice but to accept, then." Link said with a sigh. "I wish you wouldn't go, your majesty, but something tells me that your mind is already made up."

"If only every male were that intuitive." Zelda half-grumbled. "Yes, I will be going no matter what. And thank you for deciding to accompany me, Link. I'll find five men with farming experience to go replace you in Ordon. For tonight, I can find you a room in the castle. I've been working on something to help us on this job, and I'll be showing you in the morning. Please be up moderately early."

Inwardly, Link groaned. He hated mornings.

"Will do, your majesty."

"Good. You can go. Tell one of the soldiers out there that I want you in the room underneath this one for the night."

Link nodded and stood up. As he headed to the door, he took a glance back at the princess. Something about her intrigued him, but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around it.

Zelda returned his glance with a curious look. "Is there something else?"

"No, your majesty. I'm just…actually never mind."

"Well then, please don't harass my guards on the way out."

"No guarantees." Link replied before leaving the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks everyone for a great reception for my first chapter. Shout outs go to Titan83, Espeonage Espeon, SB2FLazy, AngelicParadox91, Banana14, iranda20, Firegummybears, Rawr I'm A Toaster, and ScootinJackMcCue. On top of that, I had two guests review. You guys should log in so I can give thanks where it's due!**

**Reviews are friends, not food.**

**For my past readers, I've made the decision to take down Into the Darkness and rewrite it. It will be up again eventually, but it's going to be a while. I like this story more right now, and I screwed up on ITD.**

**Finally, I feel that I should note that this Hyrule is based on the Wii version (Link is right-handed, Kakariko is in the west, and the desert is in the east).**

Chapter 2

"Your majesty, I must protest this decision of yours."

"This is madness."

"What will the people think? They want you safe, your majesty!"

"Enough!" Zelda yelled, silencing the council chamber. "My decision has been made. Link and I will depart tonight. We should be gone no longer than four weeks, in which time Councilor Brutus will be filling in for me as ruling executive. Marcus, is that acceptable?"

The man named Marcus Brutus rose and bowed to the princess. "Yes, your majesty. I will keep everything in order while you are gone. Please return safely."

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you." Zelda replied, motioning for the councilor to sit. "As for the rest of you, I will personally tie the noose around the necks of any who try to use my absence as leverage for their corrupt ways. No new laws will be passed in the next four weeks, nor will any of you take a vote on and force through laws that I would never sign. You will only be here to maintain peace and order. Is that understood?"

Everyone in the room nodded, some more vigorously than others. Link, who was standing in the shadows behind Zelda, thought that some of them had visually deflated after hearing the princess's restrictions.

"Good. For now, the court is in recess. Councilor Brutus may call a special session if needed, but otherwise all of you have these next few weeks off. You are all dismissed. And all of you will take care to remember the oath of secrecy you all took on Nayru's name before this session." Zelda finished. With that, many of the people in the room stood to leave, although Councilor Brutus approached the princess.

"Your majesty, what constitutes a special session?" He asked quietly. "How will I be sure that I'm not overstepping my bounds?"

Zelda gave him an interested look. "Wise words, councilor. My advice remains that if you believe you may be overstepping your bounds, you probably are. However, if four, five, or six weeks pass and you haven't heard from me, that would constitute a special session to discuss finding me and maintaining the budget and infrastructure. If I shouldn't return, it would be your responsibility to delve back into my family line and find an heir."

"I will do my best, your majesty." Brutus replied, bowing deeply. "I take my leave."

"He seems like a nice enough fellow." Link commented once all of the councilors had left the room.

"He's one of the few that isn't drunk with his own power." Zelda replied. "Come with me. I have something to show you."

She led Link out of the council chamber and down the long corridor to her room. Once there, she opened the doors and led him inside.

"I told you last night that I've been working on something to help us with this job. Now I'm going to show you what it is."

Link looked at the princess curiously, but otherwise waited as she disappeared into the upstairs portion of her bedroom. He didn't follow her, deciding that it would be inappropriate to invade the area she slept in.

A few moments later, she returned carrying two bundles of dark green cloth.

"Have you ever heard of the forest rangers?" She asked.

"I heard legends as a child, your majesty." Link replied. "They protected Hyrule's forests. They were never seen, never heard, and worked alone. You could walk inches away from one and never know it, even if you stepped on them."

"More or less." Zelda said. "They answer to the ruling monarch alone. If any illegal activities are taking place in a forest, the rangers will remove any necessity for me to send troops to solve the problem."

"Why are you telling me this, your majesty?" Link asked.

"Because these," Zelda said, pausing to toss Link one of the bundles of cloth. "Will give us the same ability to disappear that the forest rangers have."

Link untied the string around the cloth and let it unroll. It was a dark green hooded cloak with black and brown shapes covering it. They had no order or consistency. On top of the cloak was what looked like simple burlap strips, which hung off arbitrarily. The most fascinating thing about the cloak, though, was that he couldn't quite focus his eyes on it.

"What is this?" He asked in amazement.

"It's a cloak with something I invented called camouflage. On top of it are strips of cloth that are also camouflaged to help break up your outline. Furthermore, I spent weeks developing an enchantment that causes someone's eyes to vibrate just enough to throw off their vision when they look at these. It's impossible for anyone to notice such a small vibration, but will prevent them from seeing us unless we want to be seen."

"That's genius." Link muttered. Delicately, he swung the cloak over his shoulders and tied it around his neck. It fit perfectly. When he put the hood up and looked in the mirror, he found that the entire upper half of his face was shaded. Only his mouth and chin were visible underneath the deep hood. The only issue would be getting his sword and shield to fit underneath it. Chances were that he would have to forego the shield and cut a slit for a sword hilt to poke through.

"That enchantment even works when you're looking at the cloak in reflections, such as you are now." Zelda commented, walking up behind him. "Follow me."

Link turned, but paused when he realized that the princess was walking up the stairs to her bedroom again.

"Are you sure that this is appropriate, your majesty?" He asked, slightly concerned.

Zelda gave him a thoughtful look. "We're in my living quarters alone, and are about to set off on a month-long journey in which we will be completely alone. I hardly think that you coming upstairs to my bedroom will matter at this point."

"Noted." Link said, feeling slightly foolish for asking.

"Your concern is appreciated, though. I'm glad you have some sense about you." Zelda said. "Now come."

Link did as he was told and followed the princess up the stairs, which opened up into her bedroom. Based on his expectations, it was a disappointment. The bed was a simple four-poster with white curtains. There was a desk in the corner, a vanity mirror with a slightly messy makeup collection, and a closet. The room was not expensively furnished or overly elaborate.

"I have to get ready to travel." Zelda explained as she sat in front of the vanity mirror and opened a bottle of strange liquid. "We have some planning to do while I do so. And you have some relaxing to do. I won't have you calling me your majesty and treating me like a princess when we're out in the field."

"What should I call you, then?" Link asked cautiously. He wasn't overly surprised, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Sit." She said, motioning towards the desk. Once Link was seated, she turned around and started removing the makeup from her face.

"I have a plan. You can change details if you want, but I want to explain it to you first." She said. "First, I don't want people knowing who I am. That way there's no way an assassin could find me should one of the councilors decide to pursue that route. From the time we leave the castle to the time we get back, my name will be Cornelia. If people ask, we lived together in Ordon until we got married and are searching for a place to settle out in the east."

"Won't people know that I'm not married?" Link asked.

"I doubt it. Fortunately for you, you've slipped from the spotlight in the last year because of your general refusal to accept accolades." Zelda replied. "As it stands, the fickle nature of the masses has taken over and you have been put at the back of their minds."

"That's a relief." Link said genuinely.

"I thought as much." Zelda said with a smile. She looked so much different now that she had taken most of her makeup off. Link couldn't help but wonder why she even bothered putting it on. She was flawless either way, and he ventured that she looked even more beautiful without it.

Zelda glanced over at Link, and then seemed to realize what he was doing. She turned away slightly, and Link nearly jumped out of his seat when he realized that he had been staring. His mouth had even been hanging open slightly.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"It's…it's fine." Zelda replied. She was blushing, made even more obvious now that she didn't have makeup to hide it. "Anyways, I was also thinking that we should stay out of the villages as much as possible. I can only do so much to conceal my true identity, and people will definitely recognize you. Your face was on everything for a long time after you did your thing."

After she had said that, she dug her hands into her scalp and started whispering something quietly. The air around her shimmered slightly, and the room grew warmer.

"Wha-" Link started, but stopped when he realized what was happening. Zelda's hair was slowly changing colors, starting at the roots and moving down. Instead of brown, it was changing into a light blonde. When it was finished, Link made sure to check himself.

"This should help me disguise my identity better." Zelda said, looking over at him. "Personally, I like it more when it's blonde anyways. Almost all of my ancestors had blonde hair. I'm not really sure how mine ended up brown."

_I don't think it matters too much either way. You look stunning regardless of your hair color. _Link thought, still struggling to keep his eyes downcast. He was in complete awe of her.

"Link, are you all right?" Zelda asked, and he snapped back into focus.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good." He replied hurriedly, trying to cover for himself.

"You're drooling."

"Oh goddesses." He muttered, wiping his chin awkwardly. "Well that's awkward."

Zelda waved it off. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually care about things like that. If you would believe it, I fart in public. The council can never hear it over the sound of their own squabbling."

Link chuckled at that, glad that he wasn't going to be traveling with a girly girl for the next month. "I'm surprised that you're easygoing about that. Most girls have to have a brother pinning them down and farting in their faces before they get used to basic bodily functions."

"I still had a father." Zelda replied, smiling. She stood up and walked over to the closet. "You may want to turn around."

Link did as he was told, and Zelda opened the closet door. From inside, she pulled out a simple set of dark green traveling clothes. From there, she began pulling off the pieces of her elaborate dress. A few curses escaped her lips when she couldn't reach some of the straps on her back.

"Well this is going to be an issue." She said after a few seconds of fumbling with the stubborn fasteners. "I can't exactly call my maids, either. If they see you in here alone with me, rumors will fly everywhere. That's the last thing I need."

"What's going on?" Link asked, confused.

"This blasted dress." Zelda said with a sigh. "I told them I didn't want to wear it, but they made me. Damn it all, I need your help."

Link froze, unsure of what to expect. From what he knew for sure, the princess of Hyrule was undressing, and was asking him for help.

"Uh…" He mumbled.

"Just get over here and do it. I'm not naked." Zelda said.

Link took a deep breath and turned around. Sure enough, she wasn't naked, but he had definitely never seen her with this little clothing on. The dress had come off in pieces, with just the chest and stomach portion held on by the fasteners Zelda wasn't able to reach. Beyond that, she was only dressed in modest underwear.

Before Link took even a single step, he could feel the heat rising to his face.

_She has a fantastic-_

_No, stop it. _He told himself, forcing the testosterone to the back of his mind. Trying not to think about what he was doing, he walked over and tried to open the fasteners, only to realize that they were completely tangled together. His hands were shaking so bad that he couldn't even begin to untie the knots.

"They're all tangled together. What do you want me to do?" He asked finally.

"Do you have a knife? Just cut them off. I hate this dress anyways."

"No, I didn't carry any of them…Oh wait, I think I left one in my boot by accident." Link replied, fishing around the straps of his right boot. When he found the small dagger, he pulled it out and severed the straps around Zelda's back, letting the front of the dress fall to the ground.

"Thank you." Zelda said, breathing a sigh of relief. She wasn't at all concerned that Link had been able to accidentally bring a knife into the castle.

"No problem." Link murmured, walking back to the desk to sit down.

A few minutes later, Zelda was fully dressed in her traveling clothing. There was a clinking of metal, and Link turned to see that she had strapped a short sword to her hip. Underneath the sleeves of her shirts, she had two hidden blades.

"I designed these." Zelda said, answering his inquisitive look. "Whenever I pull my hand back, the blade comes out. When I let my hand go back to normal, the springs inside push the blade back. I also have blades in the toes and heels of my boots that I activate magically."

"Are you going for the whole assassin appeal?" Link asked.

"You could say that." Zelda replied with a laugh. "That's what I'm trained to do. The Sheikah were assassins, and their fighting style has been passed down through my family."

As she began making a pack to carry, Link decided to try and delve into more personal topics.

"Since we're on the topic of your family, would you mind telling me what happened to them?" He asked. "I'm sure I would know, except that Ordon was never a part of Hyrule until a couple years ago. We never paid attention to anyone besides ourselves."

"My mother died when I was only a few years old, so I don't remember her." Zelda replied. "She passed away during childbirth, taking what would have been my brother with her."

"My father died a few years back. It was actually only a few months before Zant's invasion. He got sick and died within the span of a few days. Besides him, I really had no family. I was too young to handle the throne, but I think I've done fairly well considering the circumstances."

"How old are you?" Link asked.

"Twenty-three."

"You're twenty-three but you're not…well never mind. That's not my business." Link said, stopping himself from getting _too_ personal.

"It's fine. You brought it up, so you might as well finish the thought." Zelda said, seemingly at ease with answering any questions he had.

"I'm just surprised that you're not married, I guess." Link admitted. "Most girls are married by eighteen or nineteen."

"And how old are you?" Zelda asked.

"Twenty-one. Why do you ask?"

"Why aren't you married?"

Link paused, at a loss. He eventually decided to give the simplest answer.

"I've just never found anyone I'd like to spend my life with."

Zelda gave him a strange look, but settled for a nod. "And that's the exact same reason I'm not married. Being without a father does, unfortunately, have its benefits. If he were still alive, I would be married to some prince from afar and would probably have been crowned queen. As it stands, I'm not going to jump into a marriage that won't make me happy. I'm in no rush to become queen, and certainly not in a rush to commit myself to a man. Almost every man who's ever tried to win my heart is a pig, anyways."

"That's as good a reason as any." Link said. "I hope I didn't overstep my place."

Zelda waved his concern off as she pulled the straps tight on her pack. "Don't worry about it. I really don't care. Don't look at me as your princess and just treat me as you would any friend. I don't feel right when you're calling me 'your majesty.' You've done much more for this country than I have. I probably would have made you a regent if you would have let me."

Link laughed. "You were right to not even bother asking. I hate politics, and I certainly wouldn't want to be in the middle of all of it."

"Well, as it stands, I have to deal with all of the politics simply because I _don't _have a regent." Zelda said. "You ready?"

Link stood up and looked around. "Well, I don't exactly carry a whole lot of stuff. I have my basic necessities in the stables with Epona, so I'm ready to go."

"All right then." Zelda said, walking over to one of the bookshelves. She pulled one of the books off and opened a hidden panel behind it, which revealed a lever. When she pulled the lever, the bookshelf moved to the side, revealing a hidden staircase.

"Let's go." She said, ushering Link forward. He stepped into the darkness of the secret exit, and Zelda followed behind him. After they had gone a few steps, the bookshelf slid back into place.

With that, their journey had begun.

**BREAK**

"It's probably not a good idea to pass through Ordon." Link said as he and Zelda rode lazily across Hyrule Field. "Everyone there knows me, and they definitely know I'm not married to anyone named Cornelia."

"Then we'll have to hide in your house until nighttime. The only way to where we need to go is through Ordon, unless you would rather take a three day excursion through the desert." Zelda replied,

"Well, that's a problem. There are certain villagers who are up during the day, and others that are up at night." Link said, his mind wandering to Ilia. She would be more than willing to come up and harass them, especially if she saw that he were with an attractive female.

"Then we'll put the hoods up on our cloaks and do our best to look intimidating. That's pretty much all I've got. Unless you have something better." The princess said, slightly frustrated.

Link thought for a moment, but finally shrugged. "No, I really don't."

"Then why are you arguing?"

"Because there's someone in Ordon that I really don't want to see." He answered honestly.

"May I ask who?" Zelda asked curiously.

"A girl I grew up with. She basically stalks me. She bothered me for months after she saw you come into my house in the middle of the night."

"Ah, so a former lover or something?"

"In her dreams." Link answered seriously.

"But didn't I knock on your door well after midnight? Why was this girl watching your house, which is set well apart from Ordon, in the middle of the night?" She asked.

"Exactly."

Zelda laughed. "So a stalker, then?"

"You could call her that. She tried to 'fix' me when I came back, like I had been broken or something. She kept wanting me to act like I did before I left."

"Really?" The princess asked. "I think your personality has improved greatly since the first time we met."

Link thought about her comment for a few seconds before he understood the joke.

"I was a wolf with a bitchy imp riding on my back when we first met." He said, chuckling at the thought. "I think anyone would be a little sour."

Zelda laughed, and they fell into a companionable silence. They had been riding for only a few hours, having had to take multiple secret tunnels out of Hyrule Castle and Castle Town before being able to make it to the stables. Hyrule Field was spread out before them as far as the eye could see. It was quite a beautiful sight for Zelda, who hardly ever got out of the castle, much less Castle Town.

"Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I hadn't been born who I am." She said, almost to herself. Link didn't reply, choosing instead to listen as she continued.

"People think that I must have an incredibly easy life, but that's not the case at all. I didn't get to do the things normal kids did when I was younger. I couldn't go play with friends when I was eight, or go see a play with friends when I was a teenager. I couldn't go on dates, make mistakes, or just be a regular person. That was all I wanted for a while. I resented my position. I would have traded with anyone."

"But eventually, after my father died, I realized why I'm here."

"Why's that?" Link asked.

"To end the corruption in the court." Zelda answered. "I've already rooted out ten councilors who were using their positions to either attempt to overturn the throne or take advantage of their people. Needless to say, they are now in jail. Unfortunately, it's going to take the rest of my life to gather the required evidence to jail the others who are corrupt."

"Are there really that many of them who are trying to usurp you?" Link couldn't imagine how they could _all _want to get Zelda off the throne. She had proven to be a fantastic princess. Hyrule's economy had already recovered from Zant's invasion, and the people were wealthier than ever before. Unemployment and poverty were at historic lows.

"You would be surprised. Everyone wants all the power for themselves." Zelda said. "I'm guilty of it, too. Sometimes I wish that the council weren't there, simply because it would be easier to get everything done. But that's absolute monarchy, which is something my ancestors ruined the country with. No one person should hold all the power in their hands, even if that means sharing it with corrupt politicians."

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Link muttered.

"Correct."

"This is Faron Woods around this bend." Link said, changing the subject. They had certainly traveled quickly, meaning that they would have to pass Ordon Spring, Ilia's favorite hideout, in broad daylight. If she saw them, they would have to run. Nobody could know that they were there or Zelda's identity could be compromised.

It took another two hours to get through Faron Woods, including some time for Zelda's horse, Bruce, to become comfortable with crossing the giant wooden bridge. He had to watch Epona cross ten times before he ventured to take a single step onto the giant, swaying platform.

When they reached Ordon Spring, Link stopped his horse and held a finger to his lips. Zelda frowned, but said nothing.

After he had pulled their horses to the side, Link pulled the hood up on his cloak and ventured forward. Slowly, he peeked his head around the corner. What he saw made his stomach drop.

Not only was Ilia present at the spring, but sitting with her back to it, meaning that she would see anything moving in front of the gate. In addition to that, she would see Epona and Bruce standing outside his house on her way back to the village.

Slowly, Link pulled back from the corner and cursed quietly.

"What's wrong?" Zelda asked when he returned to her.

"That stalker girl I told you about is watching the entrance to Ordon. There's no way we're getting through this stretch without her noticing us."

"Well then why don't we try a different tactic?" The princess asked. "Did you ever think that we don't need to sneak by?"

"What are you…" Link hesitated, unsure of what she was thinking.

"Follow my lead." Zelda said. She mounted her horse and set off at an easy walk. Link scowled and got on Epona to follow. He could see where this was going.

"You know, sometimes all you have to do is be civil." She continued, not slowing her walk as she approached the entrance to the spring.

Link cursed under his breath for a second time. "Zelda! She's going to see you!"

"That's the point."

It was too late. Zelda's horse was in front of the gate before Link could protest any further. She passed the gate, and he closed his eyes as he moved in front of it. Ilia would recognize Epona in the blink of an eye.

"Link?"

"Gods." He muttered.

"Hello!" Zelda called out to Ilia, who was creeping out of the gate behind them. "Who goes there?"

"It's Ilia. Link, why did you leave all of a sudden yesterday? Rusl was worried about you."

"I had some business to attend to." He replied, not stopping his horse. He wanted this conversation to be over as soon as possible.

"Who are…" Ilia started to ask Zelda, but stopped. Link could almost feel her stare boring into his companion, and was beginning to wonder if the hair color change had been enough to fool Ilia's wickedly good memory. After a few seconds, Zelda dismounted and walked over to where Ilia was standing.

"I'm Cornelia." She said, reaching out to shake the younger girl's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Ilia. Do you live in Ordon?"

"Yes, I do." She replied, relaxing slightly. She took Zelda's hand and shook it. "You're Hylian?"

"Yes. I grew up in Castle Town, and I'm having Link escort me to my family's old estate on the eastern side of Hyrule." Zelda said, her voice dripping with sweetness. "I'm trying to sell it, but that requires me to be there for a few weeks. It's dangerous out there, so I decided to hire the most courageous soldier Hyrule has ever known."

The ruse worked.

"Well, welcome to Ordon. Will you two be staying here?" Ilia asked.

"For the night." Zelda replied. "Is there anywhere I could stay besides his house? It would hardly be appropriate for us to be living together, even if it's for a night."

"Absolutely. You could stay at my father's house. He boards travelers often, and we have plenty of extra rooms. He's the mayor."

Link gawked at the turn the conversation had taken. Zelda had just effectively duped the girl who did more effective research than the Hylian Bureau of Investigation. Not only that, she had prevented Ilia from becoming jealous and being motivated to begin researching his situation.

"Well, I guess we should head that way." Zelda said.

"I'll run ahead and tell him to expect guests." Ilia said, turning on her heels and running towards Ordon.

"You're a genius." Link said once she was out of earshot. "Or you're just incredibly lucky. I can't figure out which."

"I have the Triforce of Wisdom." Zelda replied, smiling at him. "Sometimes it tells me what to say. I think that this was one of those times."

"Good timing, then." Link mumbled as they passed into the clearing his house was located in. There, they let the horses loose to graze, and Link picked up Zelda's pack.

"We'd better get you to Mayor Bo's." He said. "And I'm definitely not hanging around. I just broke that girl's heart yesterday. It's awkward enough as it is."

"Sounds like some juicy drama." Zelda commented lightheartedly. "I'm fairly sure that this goes on in every small village around Hyrule. You're not the only person to have gone through this."

"Well either way." Link said. "I'm _not _staying for dinner."

**BREAK**

"Like hell you're not staying for dinner!" Bo yelled as Link tried to shimmy out the door.

"Bo, I've got stuff-"

"Sit!"

"Bo-"

"SIT!"

Link sighed and shut the door, resigning himself to his fate. He shuffled over next to Zelda and sat down, hoping for the meal so that he could slam it down and leave. Fortunately, Ilia hadn't come downstairs yet.

Bo set down three bowls on the table and ladled soup out of a pot.

"So, Cornelia is it?" He asked, and Zelda nodded. "You said you're from Castle Town? That used to be my favorite place as a teenager. Had a girl who lived there that I would go and see, you know."

"That's quite a distance for two teenagers." Zelda replied.

"Well, I would go to see her, along with every other teenage male in a fifty mile radius. She was quite popular."

"So a hooker?" Link asked with a completely straight face.

"Gods, boy!" He yelled, spilling some soup on the table. "What do you take me for?"

"A dirty old man." Link was pinching his hands as hard as he could to prevent himself from laughing now, which seemed to be much easier when Ilia wasn't in the room. She would never approve of such jokes. Zelda, on the other hand, was cracking up.

"In fact, I find you repulsive." Link continued. "Furthermore, I'm so offended that I must retire to my house immediately, and without delay. Good day, sir."

He stood up and turned towards the door, but his vision starred as Bo wacked him over the head with his ladle.

"Nice try, lad. But your fancy words and 'offense' aren't getting you out of here until you've eaten."

"Damn." Link muttered, sitting back down and rubbing the back of his head. "Did you really have to hit me with that thing?"

"Yep, I did. And the next time you call me a dirty old man, I'll bend you over this table and establish my dominance. You may be young, but I've still got-"

"Ok, I get it." Link jumped in, stopping him from saying anything further. "There's a lady in here, Bo."

Zelda slapped her hand over her mouth and leaned over the table, trying as hard as she could not to laugh. She dug into her soup in an attempt to keep a straight face, but it wasn't working. Eventually, all three of them ended up laughing hysterically at the absurdity of the comment.

Finally, they all started eating, and Link noticed Ilia's continued absence.

"Is Ilia not eating tonight?" He asked finally.

Bo looked up at him curiously, but then glanced at Zelda as if he were hesitant to talk about something in front of a stranger.

"Don't mind me." Zelda said in between mouthfuls. "I already know what happened with those two the other day."

"Well, I was going to ask you about that." Bo said quietly so that Ilia wouldn't hear through the walls. "She stormed into the house around noon yesterday, screamed some curses the likes of which I haven't heard in years, and locked herself in her room for a whole day. She finally came out about twenty-four hours later and went to the spring. She's hardly talked to anyone or eaten since all that started. Was it something involving you?"

"Well this is what I was hoping I wouldn't have to talk about." Link said unhappily. "She…er…professed her longstanding love for me yesterday."

"Oh…" Bo grimaced, needing no other explanation. "I see."

"Yeah, it was pretty bad." Link said.

"Well, she's young." Bo replied casually. "There's other men out there. Actually, I was thinking about sending her to one of the eastern cities for a while for an education. I've saved up a bit of money for this, so I figure it's about time. If she wants a man, she'll definitely find one at the college."

Link stared at the mayor, completely dumbfounded. "When did you decide this?"

"About ten years ago." He replied.

"When is she leaving? And does she even know about this?"

"She knows. That's probably why she decided to finally make a move on her childhood crush, so that she would have you before she left for a year. As for when she's leaving, school starts in August."

"So she has about a month and a half left?" Link asked.

"Just about."

The more Link thought about it, the better the idea sounded. It would take Ilia away from the quiet Ordon life. She would do well in a busy, bustling city.

"What will she be learning?" He asked.

"Medical stuff." Bo responded. "Assuming she makes it through, she'll be a nurse."

"I can see that." Link said, nodding. The job would certainly suit her well, based on how she liked to take care of everyone's physical ailments. Even the animals of Ordon were subject to her care.

Link set down his empty bowl around the same time Zelda did and stood up.

"In all seriousness, I'm going to head back to my house for the night." He said. "Thanks for dinner, Bo. Cornelia, I'll be back right before dawn. We can head out then."

They both waved goodbye, and Link walked out, glad to be going home.

**BREAK**

A knock sounded on Zelda's door as she crawled into bed.

"Come in."

Ilia poked her head around the corner.

"Do you have a minute?"

"Of course." Zelda replied. "What is it?"

"I was just curious about something." Ilia said, coming in and shutting the door behind her. "You said that you two are headed east so that you can get to your estate?"

Zelda nodded, so she continued.

"Where is it?"

"Astari." The princess replied, naming off the first eastern city she could think of.

"Oh really? That's where I'm going to school in August!" She said with a smile. "I hear it's lovely in that region, although there were some rumors going around about the Celtic warriors invading pretty close to there."

"Well my house is west of Astari, and the Celts are to the east." Zelda said, covering as best she could. "So there's really no danger. The princess has sent troops to drive the Celts out, so they should be gone soon after I arrive."

"I should hope so. If you're trying to sell a house, Celtic warriors aren't too good for business." Ilia commented, but changed the subject. "So what do you do in Castle Town?"

"I'm a researcher in the castle." Zelda said, coming up with a half-lie. "Basically I read books a lot and hope to glean some information on them on how to better use magic. It's a fantastic job, especially since the libraries were underground. They weren't blown up, so there's a vast bank of knowledge to learn from. I would need fifty lifetimes before I hoped to read all of those books."

"That sounds…boring." Ilia said, making both of them laugh. "Are you married? Do you have kids?"

"No and no." Zelda replied, but instantly regretted it. Ilia's eyes narrowed slightly, so she decided to address the topic immediately. "Don't worry about me trying anything with your hero. I know how much he means to you, and I certainly have no ulterior motives for this trip."

"That's all right." Ilia replied, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's none of my business. He's already told me…well… It doesn't matter. I shouldn't be delving into these topics with you. I just met you today."

"It's quite all right." Zelda said with a smile. "And maybe things will turn out for you two in the end. Maybe he just needs his space for a while. He doesn't seem like he's going to be living in Ordon for a whole lot longer, so maybe this is just his way of separating himself from the pain of leaving."

"Why would Link not be living in Ordon any longer?" Ilia asked suddenly, as if the thought had brought panic to her.

"Well, he's been offered jobs in Castle Town quite often, from what he's told me. The princess, specifically, has offered him quite a few over the past couple years. He used to refuse to even leave Ordon, but he told me that the farming life isn't for him."

"But he's always been a farmer and a goat herder." Ilia muttered in response. The thought of Link leaving obviously terrified her. More than likely, she thought she still had a chance with him, and would be able to win him over time. This had thrown her for a loop.

"You know, I'm a little older than you are. You're what…nineteen?" Zelda asked, hoping to be able to help Link and Ilia from the outside. Ilia nodded, so she continued. "Maybe I can give you some kind of big sister advice about Link."

The younger girl gave her a curious look, so Zelda went on. "You look like you want a nice, quiet farm life with a husband who works in the fields all day, and then comes back for dinner in the evening. You've probably had a crush on Link since you two were little, and would like him to be that husband. Am I right?"

Again, Ilia nodded, allowing Zelda to begin forming her point. "Link is an adventurer. His track record shows that, and he's told me repeatedly in the past day or so how much he hates farming. That man will never settle down, no matter what."

"What are you saying? That I should give up on Link?" Ilia asked defensively, but Zelda simply raised her hand to silence her.

"I'm not suggesting that. I was going to give you another idea."

"What is it?"

Zelda put on her sweetest, most convincing charm. "You're going to school in Astari in August, where there are more boys than you could ever lay your hands on. Give them a chance. Find out which ones want the same kind of life you do. Maybe even go out on dates. Go to parties. Have some fun when you're not studying. If you do that, and you find that Link is still the man for you, then by all means spend the rest of your life pursuing him if you have to."

"But, if you do indeed find that there are other fish in the sea, and realize that one would make you much happier than Link, you should never let your love for him stand in the way of that. Link is probably the only guy you've ever loved, so you don't know what other men might have to offer. You certainly won't if you never give them a chance."

The words seemed to strike a chord with Ilia, as her eyes remained downcast for a long moment after Zelda finished her advice. Finally, though, she looked up.

"That makes sense I guess."

"I'm glad you think so." Zelda replied with a genuine smile.

"I have a lot to think about now. Thank you for the advice." Ilia replied sadly, turning towards the door. "If I don't see you in the morning, I wish you a safe trip to Astari."

"And I wish you the best of luck in school." Zelda said. "Goodnight Ilia."

"Goodnight Cornelia."

As the door closed, Zelda smiled to herself.

"All it took was someone from the outside to set her straight." She whispered to herself. "And some civility."

**BREAK**

Link stirred restlessly in his sleep as he dreamt.

_They just wouldn't stop coming. Enemy after enemy fell before the Master Sword, but even Link had his limits, despite his Triforce-fed rage. There had to be a thousand of them surrounding him. Each one had the face of one of his friends, but he knew better than to falter at that simple trick. Ilia, Rusl, Colin, Bo, Fado, Shad, Telma… All fell before his wrath. They were nothing but empty faces. His real friends would never turn on him._

_And then he struck down an enemy with Midna's face. The face cried out in pain, and contorted just as Midna's did when she was injured. For the briefest moment, the Hero of Light faltered._

_Just barely, he caught a sword on his hilt, and turned to face his attacker. Zelda's face stared him down with empty, but shockingly lifelike blue eyes. He struck her down in the same way he had the Midna clone, but saw the same kind of pain flash through those empty eyes as would Zelda's._

_Again, he faltered. This time, a sword ran through his stomach, but he felt no pain. He simply knew that it was there._

_With that, the enemies disappeared, and Link fell to the ground. With a grunt, he pulled the curved sword from his abdomen, and rolled over to await his death._

_Death would not come, though. Instead, he lay on the ground for what felt like seconds, but he knew was hours. _

_And then a cold, heartless laugh echoed around him. Looking up, Link found himself in the old Hyrule Castle._

"_Is this a dream?" He wondered aloud, but jumped to his feet when the laugh sounded off again._

_Ganondorf appeared before him, holding a broken and battered Midna in his hands._

"_You failed, boy. I killed her." The King of Evil said, laughing hysterically. Link tried to draw his sword, but found that it wasn't there. Having no other option, he leaped at Ganondorf, intent on ripping his throat out with his bare hands. No matter how far he leaped, though, he never seemed to move forward._

"_I am beyond your reach now." Ganondorf laughed again. He took Midna's lifeless body in his hands, and ripped her head off. Next, he pulled each of her limbs off one-by-one and tossed them aside._

_Link couldn't even weep. He could only watch as his friend was torn apart._

_And then a hand grabbed his. He turned to find Zelda, wielding her golden bow. _

"_Come with me, Link." She said. "This isn't real. This is just a memory of what could have been. You have no place here. This memory has no control over you unless you allow it."_

_She pushed him out of the way and drew back a light arrow. Panic flooded Ganondorf's eyes, and he tried to move, only to find that he was just as trapped as Link had been. The light arrow pierced his heart, and he didn't have time to scream before he vanished. The castle disappeared, leaving Link and Zelda standing on a cloud miles above the ground._

"_Your mind is filled with these memories. You cannot dwell on them, or they will begin to rule you. You are the master of your own thoughts."_

_She took his hand._

"_I will be with you even when you feel the most alone. Now wake."_

Link bolted out of bed, drenched in sweat. After a few moments, he reoriented himself and looked out the window. It was almost dawn.

"Time to get moving." He said to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you guys again for another great reception of chapter 2! **

**Flugg offered some fantastic insight in his(her?) review, so I'd like to address that. Zelda seems well equipped for now, but we haven't gotten into the fighting and the kinds of things that Link is good at. I've always seen Zelda as the brains and Link as the brawn, although still quite a bit smarter than the average soldier. To me, it seems like Link would have a typical male's one-track mind, whereas Zelda would be the one to think outside the box. I'm glad you all appreciate my Zelda! I've gotten multiple compliments on her.**

**So here's another chapter. When the reviews come in, chapters come out quicker. It's a motivation thing.**

Chapter 3

Link and Zelda set out early, just as planned, and managed to avoid seeing anyone as they passed through the fields of Ordon. The pumpkins weren't growing yet, and the fields were completely barren. It made for bland scenery.

"I always thought Ordon would be prettier than this." Zelda commented as they moved past the final fields and into the eastern part of the country, which had previously been no man's land between Hyrule and Celtica. The governor of Astari had approached Zelda a year before asking to merge with her country, and the rest of the surrounding land had followed suit. The merge had been good for everyone, as the people of eastern Hyrule benefitted from the manufacturing capabilities of the west, and the people of the west benefitted from the farming capabilities of the east. Hyrule had also acquired Astari's famous College of Medicine, which allowed thousands more students to attend than before.

Ordon had been a part of that movement. Before the Twilight crisis, the village and its surrounding fields hadn't belonged to any nation, much like the rest of the eastern territory. It had simply run itself. Being a part of Hyrule certainly had its benefits, despite the fact that the citizens now paid taxes. They were protected by the military, and were able to easily sell their surplus pumpkins and other plants without paying an international tax.

"Just wait until October." Link replied to Zelda's earlier comment. "There are more pumpkins than you could possibly imagine."

"I know." She said, smiling. "I saw the Ordon Pumpkin Train, as the Castle Town residents called it."

The last October, Ordon had had the largest crop in history. Due to their new status as residents of Hyrule, they had all travelled to Castle Town with every extra pumpkin and sold them all at lower prices than ever before. Over fifty thousand pumpkins had been sold in less than a week.

Link laughed at the memory. "I don't think my arms have ever hurt as bad as they did that week. I was lifting giant pumpkins constantly for twelve hours a day."

Zelda grinned. She had been able to see Link from her tower, and had watched in slight awe, especially after he took his shirt off. Just because she was a princess didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy looking at a man with large muscles.

"We're going to be reaching an isthmus down the road." Link said. "From that point on, we're going to be in eastern territory. I don't know much about it, and I doubt you've been there that often."

"No, I haven't." Zelda confirmed. "Not even once."

"Well, we'll be traveling moderately blind." He replied, only slightly concerned. He wasn't afraid to ask for directions when they found a village along the trail.

"I brought a map, actually." Zelda said, reaching into her pack. She brought out a rolled up parchment and tossed it to Link, who opened it. It was an extremely detailed sketch of the entire eastern territory, including a small area of Celtica. Enemy encampments were labeled, as well as where they had their religious ceremonies.

"How did you get all this information?" He asked.

"I'm a princess. I get pretty much everything I want." Zelda replied matter-of-factly. Link thought about it for a few seconds, and then decided that it was as good of an answer as any. One detail on the map stuck out to him, though.

"This says that the largest enemy encampment is only ten miles from Astari's outer walls."

"That's correct."

"Does Astari not have an organized military to try and repel this kind of threat? It seems foolish to allow an aggressive enemy force to camp so close to their city. Not to mention that it looks like the camp is right on top of a major supply route."

Zelda nodded. "Yes, they have a military force, but it's geared almost completely towards defense. They're trained only in how to protect their city should they be attacked. When I sent troops to help, they simply barricaded them up within the city and told them to prepare to counter a siege."

"So they're just waiting for an inevitable attack rather than taking care of the problem before it happens?" Link asked.

"It doesn't make sense to me, either." Zelda replied with a shrug. "From what I hear, the people here at generally pacifists, and don't want to incite war."

"That's ridiculous." Link growled. To him, pacifism was simply purposeful ignorance. Its followers seemed to believe that not believing in war would prevent it from happening. "As long as humans exist, there will be war. They need to protect themselves. Maybe we wouldn't have to be doing this if they would pull their heads out of their asses and fight for their own wellbeing."

"Well regardless, you should flip through this a little bit." Zelda said, tossing him a small book. "It's an overview of Astari and the surrounding areas. A key part of this trip is being educated about the world around us."

Link opened the book and saw a handwritten note on the back of the front cover.

"No weapons allowed in the city?" He questioned. "Did you write this?"

"Oh, yeah." Zelda muttered. "I forgot about that. None of the citizens of the city are allowed to own or use weapons. Their city guards carry batons, but there are no blades of any kind allowed. Bows are off-limits, as well. The only ones allowed to carry weapons are on-duty soldiers. Bows are restricted to the outer walls of the city and the upper decks of the castle."

Link was completely baffled. "But people carry weapons around in the open in Castle Town. And Ordon. And every other village I've ever been to. It's strange to _not _own a weapon where we're from. What's the purpose of that law in Astari?"

"I'm not sure. I guess they figure that it will reduce crime rates if people don't have weapons to use when they get mad." Zelda replied.

"And does it work?"

"No. They have the highest crime rates of any city in the country. And that's after you account for the fact that crime has gone down by thirty percent in the past year."

"Then why? Is this some social experiment or something?" Link asked, dumbfounded. He couldn't imagine not having a sword in his home to defend himself or others with.

"I honestly don't know." Zelda said, shaking her head. "When I asked the governor to remove that law, he staunchly refused. I was a little busy trying to reform their tax code to worry about the weapon issue, anyways."

"What was wrong with their tax code?" He asked, not sure whether or not he wanted to know.

"They were calling it a 'fair' system." Zelda started, and then sighed. "It was hardly fair. They based tax rates on income. While that in itself isn't completely abnormal, the tax rates were up to all but two percent of the richest family's income. When I examined it, I realized that every citizen of the city was making the exact same amount of money."

"So the government had determined how much money any one family could make, and was taxing the excess?" Link asked. "That's communism."

"Exactly." Zelda agreed. "The governor called it 'A new social order. One that will set the example for years to come. From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.' He believed that he had solved the issue of poverty."

"Maybe for about two months, until everyone starts expecting a check from their government." Link said. This city's story was beginning to appall him. "They tried that long ago in Hyrule, if I'm not mistaken."

"They did." Zelda replied. "It was a disaster. When everyone makes the same amount of money, nobody is willing to work harder. Would you put your best effort into a job when you knew that you would be making the same amount of money as the person who did his best to escape working? And would you strive for success if you knew that you couldn't make a better living with it?"

"No, of course not." Link agreed. "Did you fix that code?"

"For the most part. I faced a lot of resistance from the old governor and eventually ended up forcing him from his position. After I replaced their tax code with Hyrule's regular flat tax, the people were unhappy that they had to begin working for their money again, but they've been getting the hang of it."

"How did you convince them to not rebel?"

Zelda grimaced a little bit before answering. "Their government had run up an alarming amount of debt in their attempt to form a utopian communist society. I paid that debt off in full out of my own pocket in return for the new government's cooperation and support."

"But Link," She continued, "we're _not _going to be carrying our weapons into the city as an act of protest. Remember that our goal is to attract as little attention as possible. I don't want anyone to know that the sovereign of Hyrule is in their city." She added.

Link sighed, but decided to let Zelda's wisdom guide him in this circumstance. On matters like this, she usually knew best. For the rest of the day, he read over the guide to Astari, hoping to glean some information that would help them. When they finally arrived at a small farming village, he hardly noticed due to being so immersed in the book. The villagers looked on the pair strangely, but continued about their work in the field.

Finally, as they passed through the main group of houses, a dark-skinned man approached them and spoke with a heavy accent.

"What brings you two travelers here today?"

Link looked up from his book and started to answer, but Zelda beat him to it.

"Just passing through on our way to Astari."

"Do you have a place to stay?" The man asked. "It's nearly nighttime, and the roads are dangerous after dark."

Zelda gave the man a puzzled look. "We were planning on traveling through the night. Why are the roads dangerous?"

"There's been some weird stuff going on. Why don't you two stable your horses? I own the inn here, and I can tell you all about it."

Zelda looked at Link, and he nodded. Traveling through the night would be hard on their horses, anyways. Even if this man were simply exaggerating the possible dangers in the hopes of gaining their business, it would give them a better idea of what to expect.

The innkeeper took Epona and Bruce from them and led them towards the stables while Link and Zelda walked inside the inn. It was clean and warm, and seemed to be meticulously taken care of.

"Hello." Came a voice from the corner. The pair turned to see an elderly woman sweeping up some dirt on the ground. Unlike innkeeper outside, she had much lighter skin. "It's nice to see visitors here. We don't get as many as we used to. My name is Ruth."

"I'm Cornelia, and this is my husband Link. We're from Ordon." Zelda replied. "We're headed out east to look for a place to settle down. Why don't you get many visitors anymore?"

The door opened, and the dark skinned man from the street came into the inn.

"I'm glad you two decided to stay." He said, drawing their attention to him. The elderly woman left the room quietly, noticed only by Link. "Do you want one room? Two? One or two beds?"

"One room with two beds is fine." Zelda replied. "This one's a restless sleeper."

"Been kicked enough times, I guess?" The innkeeper joked. "The name's Ashad."

"Ashad?" Link asked. "Where are you from?"

"Further east. I grew up in a village near the eastern border." He replied as he scratched down a note on a ledger. "The room is twenty-five rupees. Would you like to pay now or on the way out?"

"We'll pay now." Zelda said, opening her pack and fishing out the required money. When she put it down on the counter, Ashad stored it away in a safe underneath the counter.

"It's going to be the third room on the left at the top of the stairs." He said. "Ruth can cook if you two would like to join her and I for dinner."

"When will that be?" Link asked. Zelda smiled, having forgotten that food was always on his mind.

"In about an hour. She's probably just now getting started."

Link wasn't done asking questions, though.

"So you and Ruth both run this inn? It doesn't look like you two are related."

"We're not." Ashad said, peering at Link. "I moved here a while ago and was looking for work, so she was kind enough to take me in. I started as the stable boy when this was a much busier area. Now that business has slowed down, and Ruth has gotten older, I've begun doing more and more things around the inn."

"Interesting." Link commented, scratching his chin. "And why has business slowed down? Does it have anything to do with this area being dangerous at night?"

"Well, you could say that." Ashad replied. He looked slightly uncomfortable. "People have been disappearing. Usually it's travelers who are on the road at night. This village is also over a day's ride from the next one down the road, so people are afraid to travel because that means riding at night."

"That's all you know? That people have been disappearing?" Link was obviously onto something, but Zelda couldn't figure it out.

"Yes. There are no signs of struggle or anything. We even had four of the villagers disappear, though. Nobody ever figured out what happened to them. They simply never came home from their fields."

"And what village are you from?"

"Eden"

Link scowled, but nodded. "Thank you. We'll be down for dinner in an hour."

"No problem, young man. Thank you for your business."

Link and Zelda went upstairs and opened the door of their designated room. Like the rest of the inn, it was well kept. The sheets were fresh, and the furniture was swept of all dust. Link dumped his sword and shield on the bed, along with his bundled up cloak. Once the door was shut, he turned to Zelda.

"Ashad is hiding something."

Zelda gave him an inquisitive look. "What makes you think that? He seemed perfectly normal to me."

Link pulled out the map Zelda had given him and opened it. He began searching the map, finding what he was looking for after a few seconds.

"He said he was from Eden, which is on the eastern border. Eden is right on top of the border, actually, but on the opposite side of it. It's a large Celtic religious settlement, and references a page in this book you gave me."

Link opened the book on Astari and began reading out loud.

"For at least fifty years, the residents of Agarin terrorized the citizens of Astari. At least eight known Astarians were captured and used as blood sacrifices in the settlement's religious rituals. Residents of the village of Agarin disappeared mysteriously in the year 4E 890, and village itself was burnt to the ground. The settlement of Eden was built on the ruins in 4E 902.

"Basically, this says that Eden was built on the remains of a cult that disappeared twenty years ago." Link finished.

"And you think that he's hiding something because of that?"

"No, but I can tell that something is up." He replied. "When he walked in the room, did you notice how quickly Ruth escaped? It was like she was afraid that she would be seen talking to us. And did you notice him sweating bullets when I started asking for details about why it's dangerous here at night? He's hiding something, and I want to find out what it is."

Zelda was silent for a few moments as she absorbed the information being thrown at her. She hadn't noticed any of this beforehand, and was tempted to think that Link was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"Are you sure about all of this?" She asked finally, picking up the book and reading over the information for herself. "It seems far fetched."

"Look, I know you don't know much about small town life." Link said. "But people don't just move in randomly. Especially people who look, act, or speak differently. Small towns usually stay that way- small. Foreigners aren't welcomed with open arms, and they definitely don't find a job at an inn. He would have been lucky to live in an outhouse and work in the fields all day for a meager salary that barely fed him."

"Maybe Ordon is different than this village in that regard. Surely not every small town is like that." Zelda couldn't imagine that people would be that shut off from the outside world.

"I doubt it. I need to speak with Ruth alone, so I need you to distract Ashad for me after dinner."

Zelda sighed. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"You worked your magic with Ilia. Now it's time to do that again."

**BREAK**

Ruth didn't join the three of them for dinner. Instead, she served it and then went back in the kitchen.

"Does she not eat?" Link asked. To Ashad, it would have sounded like he was joking.

"She's sort of a recluse." He said, laughing. "She likes to make dinner and then eat it in the kitchen by herself. I've never figured out why. Just one of those old lady things, I guess."

Link forced a smile and continued eating. It was time for Zelda to take over.

"Ashad, I was wondering if you would be willing to take a look at my horse after dinner." She said when she was almost done with her plate.

"Well I'm an expert on horses." He replied. "What's wrong with him?"

"He was limping quite a bit earlier, but neither of us could find anything wrong with his feet. He quit about three miles before we arrived here."

Ashad nodded. "I didn't look earlier. Are you sure his feet don't just need a good trimming? I have the tools for that if that's the case."

"Well, I guess we'll find out." Zelda replied. She could definitely lay on the charm when she wanted to.

As she finished up the last bites of her chicken, she stood up. "I'll meet you outside."

Ashad nodded and stood up, having just finished his own meal. He gave Link a furtive glance as he walked out the door after Zelda, but left him alone.

As soon as the door shut, Link stood up from the table and walked over to the kitchen door.

"Ruth?" He called. There was no answer, so he pushed the door open and walked in. The kitchen was moderately large and, just like the rest of the inn, neat and well kept. Ruth had paused in the middle of washing out a pot, and was staring at Link with a mix of horror and fear.

"Get out!" She hissed. "You can't be in here!"

"Why's that?" Link asked. "Is it because Ashad doesn't want you speaking with outsiders? Is he afraid you'll tell them something?"

Ruth paused, her mouth halfway open. She said nothing for a moment, so Link pushed ahead.

"Ashad is outside with my wife looking for something wrong on a perfectly healthy horse, so it's going to be a little while before he comes in. Unfortunately, that's not enough time for you to be hesitant. I need you to tell me what's going on with him, and why you're afraid of him. Please don't waste time. I can't help you if you don't help me."

The elderly woman was still speechless, so Link walked up to her and took her hand.

"Please, Ruth. I'm a friend. I can help you."

At that, she broke down into sobs, and Link held her in a tight embrace. For a long minute, they stood there while she cried away whatever anguish she had been going through.

Finally, she managed to form a coherent sentence.

"He took the inn." She said, breathing heavily to regain control of her emotions. "He threatened me, that if I didn't take him in he would kill me. He runs off in the night to some camp with a bunch of crazy religious fanatics. He told me if I ever told anyone, he would kill my family in front of me. He knows where they live. I don't know what I'm going to do…"

"You're going to go about your business like normal." Link said. "Just like you were doing. Do you know when he leaves?"

"He'll be leaving tonight, just like every Wednesday." She said, still breathing heavily but done crying.

"Is he the reason travelers are disappearing?"

Ruth nodded and leaned back into the wall.

"He has me put sedatives in travelers' drinks. They don't work for twelve hours, but by that time most of them are out on the road. That's why people keep disappearing. They'll follow them until they pass out, and then they're never seen again. And then he captured that poor family in the field."

Fresh tears sprung up in Ruth's eyes, and she wiped them away. "I didn't put the sedatives in any of your food. That was going to be tonight when he had me make dessert, because you're bigger than most. You would have been able to taste the required amount in your drink."

"That's good." Link said. "If he's leaving tonight, I'm going to follow him. When he leaves, you need to leave as well. Find somewhere to stay that you'll be safe. I'll come find you when he's dead."

"You're going to kill him?" She asked, suddenly alarmed.

"If I don't, he'll continue to kill other villagers and travelers."

"But then his friends will-"

"No, they won't." Link smiled genuinely at her. "His Celtic friends won't be a problem for much longer. That's what I'm here for. He's Celtic, correct?"

Ruth nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but froze at the sound of an opening door.

"Shit." Link muttered, trying to come up with something that wouldn't involve killing Ashad on the spot. He still wanted the man to lead him to the Celtic camp. He looked over at the bony remains of the chicken they had eaten for dinner and snapped off a bone.

"This is absolutely ridiculous!" He screamed. "I could have choked and died on this thing! Is that what you wanted, bitch? I'm paying for this shit! Start acting like it!"

Ruth looked at him, shocked, before she realized what he was doing.

Ashad burst into the kitchen. "What the hell is going on in here?"

"I left a bone in his chicken by accident." Ruth muttered.

"Damn it, Ruth." Ashad grumbled, and then turned to Link. "Just get out of here, please. I'll refund the meal charge."

"Don't worry about it." Link said. "Just leave this bitch alone to clean this mess up."

For effect, he kicked the pile of chicken bones across the room and stormed out. Zelda was waiting outside the door with a completely horrified look on her face.

"Come on. Let's go upstairs. We should have just eaten somewhere else." Link said loud enough so that Ashad could hear it through the door. With that, he stormed up the stairs and into the room.

"What the _hell _are you doing to that woman?" Zelda asked, her voice icy and accusing.

"Ashad took the inn from her. He's a part of one of the Celtic tribes we're targeting, and he plans to sedate us with a time-released tranquilizer that will leave us passed out on the road. He's the reason all of the disappearances have been happening, and I think he's using this inn as a source of financial income for the clan. We're following him tonight."

Link opened his map and looked up at the completely vexed Zelda.

"That doesn't explain why you were yelling at an elderly woman." She said unhappily.

"I was helping her." Link replied. "She's not even allowed to talk to visitors because he's afraid she'll tell them something. So I made it look like I was just a complete asshole yelling at her for something inconsequential. That way, she won't be in any major trouble."

"Oh…" Zelda muttered, a look of relief flashing across her face. "Well I suppose that's all right, then. Good thinking."

"Thanks. Now start getting ready. It's almost nightfall."

**BREAK**

Just as Ruth had said he would, Ashad brought dessert to Link and Zelda that night, apologizing profusely about the bone in the chicken. Link waved off the apologies, telling him not to worry about it, and accepted the pieces of cake.

"And this…" Link said, taking a whiff of the warm, flaky chocolate cake. "Is definitely baked."

"Oh, you're hilarious." Zelda said sarcastically of his drug reference. "So it has sedatives in it?"

"Oh boy, does it." He muttered, dumping the two pieces in the trash. "I don't know how he could have hoped to sneak that into a drink over dinner."

"Obviously it's worked before."

"On unsuspecting travelers, I guess." Link amended. "But we're hardly unsuspecting travelers."

"He's moving." Zelda said suddenly, opening the blinds slightly wider to get a better view. Ashad was moving out towards the stables, checking over his shoulder constantly. Their window was dark, however, leaving him to believe that nobody was watching at the late hour.

"Let's go." Link said, opening the door and throwing his enchanted cloak around his shoulders. Earlier in the day, he had decided to go with his original plan and forego his shield, hoping that he wouldn't need it for this mission. A simple slit allowed the hilt of his sword to extend out of the cloak, and his bow and quiver fit easily over his back.

Like ghosts, the pair flew down the stairs, nearly slamming into Ruth as they headed for the back door.

"He's gone." She said once she had gotten over the initial shock.

"We saw." Zelda replied.

"Where are you going?" Link asked.

"There's a family living in the house down the street. It's the third on the left when you leave the inn." She said. "Good luck."

"Thank you. Stay safe, Ruth."

All three of them left through the back door, and Ruth separated to quickly walk to the house she was going to hide in. Link and Zelda checked the stables and, finding Ashad's horse absent, mounted theirs and bolted in the direction the Celt had gone.

"He's certainly not doing a very good job of covering his tracks." Link muttered as they followed a very obvious path of destruction his horse had left. Ashad was in a hurry, and clearly not expecting to be followed.

"Link, are you absolutely sure about this?" Zelda asked as they moved further away from the road.

"I'm never absolutely sure about anything." He replied. "But I have a bad feeling about this man, and I hardly think that Ruth would lie to me about something this serious. The least we can do is check it out."

"I guess so." She grumbled, not wanting to admit that he was right. "But what are you planning on doing about Ashad when we find him?"

"We'll see."

They followed the trail for another three miles before they began to hear the first signs of their destination.

"What's that?" Zelda whispered, her feminine hearing picking up the faint noise first.

"What's wha…" Link started to ask, but stopped. On top of the breeze, he heard a murmuring. It was almost like chanting.

"Time to dismount." He said, leaping off of Epona and tying her reigns to Bruce. She would lead him back to Link when she was called.

On foot, the pair traveled much more carefully. Another half mile ahead of where they had dismounted, Link found signs of Ashad having done the same. By this time, the murmuring sound could be heard without the breeze, and was getting steadily louder. When they crested a hill, they began to make out distinctive words in the chant, although they were gibberish.

Finally, as they approached another large hill, Link held up his hand for Zelda to halt. Visible over the ridge was the glow of firelight.

"Whatever happens, stay low and out of the light." He said quietly, pulling his hood up. Zelda nodded and did the same.

Low and slow, they crawled through the underbrush, coming ever closer to the top of the hill. When they finally crawled over it, Zelda had to stop herself from gasping.

In the small valley below them, at least five thousand dark-skinned Celts were gathered around a bonfire. They were chanting in unison as six men dressed in elaborate masks danced directly around the fire, moving their bodies in ways that Link didn't know was possible. One was in the process of cutting his wrist open and spilling it on an altar.

"Did your books ever say what those voodoo priests look like?" He asked Zelda quietly, not having forgotten their original mission.

"Yes. Those are it." She replied, referring to the masked men. "But how can we possibly do this with that many of them gathered around the fire? We'll never find Ashad, either. There's so many."

"Ashad can be taken care of later." Link said. "Right now, we have a chance to finish a good portion of our job after only two nights out in the field. How were you planning on lighting them on fire?"

Zelda stared down into the crowd, not offering a reply.

"Zelda?" Link asked, turning around to look at her. Her eyes were glazed over, and she looked as if she were about to be sick.

"Zelda!" He crawled back to her and softly slapped her cheek. "Look at me, right now."

She turned to him, blinking in shock. She had never been slapped before.

"You've never killed anyone, have you?" He asked her.

Slowly, she shook her head and looked down at the ground, as if ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Link." She whispered. "I should have told you this. This happened last time I was in a situation like this, and I went into shock. I…I don't think…"

"Look at me." Link cut in, forcing her to look up into his eyes. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to be sorry about. Never having killed someone is a good thing, but you're going to have to change that today."

"How can I do it?" She asked. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"You have to separate yourself from your emotions and reason for the briefest moment. Do you remember what you were doing when we fought Ganondorf? You weren't worried about killing him."

"But that was different." She said. "I knew I couldn't kill him with my arrows. It was impossible. I was just weakening him so that you could kill him."

"Do you know what these voodoo priests will do to your people if they're allowed to spread west? They're already causing chaos for the people here. So if anything, see this as your duty, rather than a personal choice."

Zelda paused, so Link hammered home his point.

"I can't do this without your help. We may not catch this many of their priests in one place again, so we need to take this opportunity to take them out. Do you think you can do this?"

"I…"

Zelda paused, and then took a gulp of air.

"I can try."

"Good. Now get ready to use magic." Link said, hoping that he could help by talking her through it. "I need you to light my arrows on fire after I fire them, unless you can light the priests on fire without using a projectile."

"No, they're too far away and there's too many of them." Zelda said.

"Can you do this, Zelda? Can I rely on you to not lock up when I shoot my arrow?"

"Yes." She replied shakily.

"Tell it to me with confidence."

"Yes, I can." She said, trying to be strong.

"Good, I'm going to fire six arrows and then we're going to lay here for awhile. We can't move while they're searching for us."

"Ok, I understand." Zelda said, nodding in affirmation. "Just give me a min-"

"Light it." Link said, loosing his arrow.

"What?" A wave of panic ran through Zelda as his arrow whizzed away, but instinct took over, putting her emotions on the back burner.

"_Ignis!_"

Just as it struck the nearest priest, the arrow erupted into white-hot flames. Within seconds, the priest's decorative furs and mask were ablaze, sealing his fate. Zelda didn't have time to watch, though. Link fired another arrow before she had time to think about what was going on.

"_Ignis!_" She hissed again, repeating the process with the most distant voodoo priest.

Link fired again.

"_Ignis!_"

Another solid hit. By this time, the Celts were beginning to react. The three other priests could not see what was going on, though.

As the fourth danced around from the back of the bonfire, Link fired again.

"_Ignis!_"

A fourth hit.

The fifth priest was still behind the fire, so Link fired at the one on the altar.

"_Ignis!_"

With that, only one was left, but was quickly being alerted by the scrambling Celts. He ran around the edge of the fire, seeing his burning comrade on the altar only a moment too late.

"_Ignis!_"

The arrow struck the priest in the center of his mask, lighting the fabric in mere seconds.

"Now we wait." Link said, putting his bow away and crawling underneath a nearby bush. Zelda rolled over next to him, concealing her face as best she could with her hood.

"For how long?" She asked, but stopped short when Link pulled her closer.

"For however long we need to." He said. "Stay close to me so that we're not seen. I'll keep you safe."

With that, they waited.

**BREAK**

It took nearly nine hours for the Celts to stop searching the surrounding area, but the cloaks did their jobs. Link and Zelda remained unseen even when one of the searchers had stepped on Link's leg.

The Celts were terrified, by the sounds of their voices. Many of them had ridden over the eastern hill and disappeared within minutes of the attack. It was obvious that Zelda's idea of fulfilling one of their prophecies was working.

Ashad, however, had grabbed his horse and ridden back towards the inn a few minutes before.

Finally, Link raised his head to look at the surrounding area. Dawn was approaching rapidly, and they would need to move quickly to make it back before the sun rose.

"Let's go." He said, rising to a crouch. Zelda ignored the burning of her limbs and did the same. Slowly but decisively, the pair moved down the large hill, finally standing after they reached the bottom.

"We need to run." Link said, breaking into a jog. "We can't let Ashad have time to pack up and leave or, worst case scenario, look for Ruth"

Zelda fell into step next to him, thankful that he wasn't trying to outrun her. Being six feet five inches made him a naturally fast runner, and she wouldn't have a prayer of keeping up over the four miles back.

"You did well." Link said as they jogged across the countryside. "Consider me impressed. You have more of a backbone than you give yourself credit for."

"I just…" Zelda had been trying to not give thought to the fact that she had helped kill six people. "I didn't think about it. You didn't give me a chance to."

"That was the point." He replied. "If I had given you a minute, you would have probably frozen."

"I didn't really kill them. You were the one who shot the arrows, so I think my conscience is clear."

Link didn't reply, so they jogged on in silence for a few minutes before he stopped suddenly.

"Look what we have here." He said with a smile, plucking a small grass-like plant from the ground. It was in the shape of a horseshoe, but didn't look like anything special.

"What is that?" Zelda asked curiously.

"Feast your ears." Link replied, bringing the grass up to his lips and blowing through it. From the two hollow ends came a song that Zelda recalled having heard once before, when Link had called Epona to take them from the desert to Castle Town.

Sure enough, Epona galloped over a nearby ridge moments later, with Bruce being drug along by their connected reigns.

"That's a good girl." Link said, untying the reigns when the horses reached him. He turned to Zelda. "Let's go kill ourselves a terrorist."

On horseback, the distance to the inn flew by in the blink of an eye. When Link and Zelda reached the inn, they found Ashad's horse tied up in the stable. Even from there, though, he could be heard raging inside the inn. He seemed to have found their room empty, based on where the sound was coming from.

"Stay here." Link said, leaping off of Epona. "Watch over our horses and I'll take care of him. I'll come out and tell you when it's safe."

Zelda nodded, relieved that Link would be taking care of Ashad. She had seen enough bloodshed for one day.

"Be safe, Link." She said. He nodded, and then quietly stepped into the front door of the inn.

And so for the second time that night, Zelda waited patiently, expecting at any moment to hear Ashad's dying scream. Minutes passed, and still there was nothing.

When Link had been inside for ten minutes, she dismounted, thinking that she might need to go in after him.

After fifteen minutes, she took a few tentative steps towards the door.

After twenty, she drew her sword and grabbed the door handle.

"You…"

Zelda nearly jumped out of her skin as the garbled voice spoke from behind her. Instead, however, she turned around slowly, afraid to look.

As soon as she saw Ashad, she was greeted with his fist to her stomach.

"Gah!" She coughed out, staggering back into the wall and dropping her sword to the ground.

"_I knew it_!" He screamed, drawing a dagger from his belt. Zelda dived to her right, just barely dodging Ashad's blade. It sunk into the wall where she had been only moments before.

Ashad ripped the dagger from the wall and turned to face Zelda, who had just regained her footing.

"I'll kill you." He growled, lunging at her. She rolled to the side again, and heard a crashing noise in the upstairs of the inn.

_Link is upstairs? _She thought, panicked. _I'll be dead by the time he gets here!_

Again, Ashad rushed her, this time grabbing her as she tried to roll. He picked her up by the neck, grinning maniacally.

"You die now…" He said, licking his lips as if he were savoring the moment. Slowly, he brought his dagger up to Zelda's throat.

"No…" She whispered. Link could be heard charging down the stairs.

_He won't be here in time._

Time slowed down, and Zelda opened her eyes. She could see every detail of the Celt's face as if her senses had just heightened ten-fold. The slight discoloration of his teeth. The evil glint in his eyes. The freckle on his ear, and the bundle of longer nasal hairs poking out of his nostril. Everything was in perfect detail.

_So this is how it has to be._

Ashad's skin was cracked, peeling around his palms. He smelled faintly of old beef. His fingernails were worn down. The dagger he was bringing up to her throat had been sharpened many, many times. It was obviously very old.

_How dare he touch me like this._

She pulled her hands up, feeling the resistance of the contraptions on her wrists. She kept pushing, though, having decided that this was her only way to survive.

The hidden blades erupted from under her wrists, driving themselves through Ashad's chest with a sickening thud. The Celt's eyes glazed over immediately, and his hold on Zelda slackened. She dropped to the ground, pulling the blades out as she did so. Blood sprayed from the open wounds in his chest, soaking the front of her shirt and the hood of her cloak as she rolled away.

With a crash, the front door of the inn flew off of its hinges.

"Zelda!" Link screamed, bursting from the empty doorway. For a moment, he stared in complete shock. When Ashad dropped to the ground, though, he sheathed his sword and walked over to Zelda, who was leaning on the wall of the inn.

"Come on." He said calmly. "Let's go get you cleaned up. Are you hurt at all?"

Zelda shook her head, and Link could tell that she was still on an adrenaline rush. He took her hand in his and gave it a small tug.

"You're okay. Please come inside, Zelda."

Slowly, she stood up on her own two feet. The adrenaline was quickly wearing off, though, leaving behind a completely shocked and upset young woman behind. Zelda's knees buckled underneath her, and Link caught her as she fell completely unconscious, having expected such a thing to happen.

"Sleep tight." He muttered, picking her up and carrying into the inn.

**BREAK**

Zelda groaned loudly, waking Link as she did so.

"Morning, sweetheart." He grumbled from the other side of the room. Zelda looked up and saw him lying in the other bed.

"Urrrnnnggghhh." She moaned, rolling over. She felt around the bed, marveling at its softness.

Suddenly, she leapt up, realizing that she was in only her underwear.

"Why the hell am I naked?" She demanded, scrambling to cover herself with the blanket.

"Don't worry." Link replied sleepily. "Ruth did it, and I wasn't in the room. She cleaned all the blood off of your face and washed your clothing last night."

"Oh…" Zelda muttered, lying back down. "Did that really all happen or was that just a bad dream?"

"Which part?"

"I lit a bunch of priests on fire and stabbed Ashad to death."

"Yeah, that happened."

"Goddesses." Zelda muttered, unable to think of anything better to say. "What time is it?"

"Probably about seven in the morning."

"So I've been out for over a day?"

"Just about."

Her stomach growled as if in confirmation.

"I'm guessing that you're hungry, then?" Link asked, slightly humored.

"Yeah, I guess so. Can I have my clothing?" Zelda asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, one second." Link replied, rolling out of bed. Upon seeing that he wasn't wearing a shirt, Zelda nearly had a panic attack. She had never seen him this close without his shirt on, and she immediately regretted not having gotten outside to do so. His muscles were enormous, and he sported a six-pack that put the Hylian bodybuilders to shame.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he brought her clothes over to her. "You're turning every shade of red."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Zelda growled, snatching the clothes from his hands.

"Oh." He said, realizing what she was so enthralled with. "Goddesses, you're such a woman."

With that, he grabbed his tunic and walked out the door, shutting it behind him to give her some privacy.

Hours later, Link, Zelda and Ruth all sat at a table in the inn. Link had just finished repairing the front door, and the elderly woman was serving them lunch.

"Are you all right, honey?" She asked Zelda as she set her plate down.

"Yes, I think so." Zelda replied. "I'm still in shock, but I'm not feeling guilty or anything. I'll be all right."

"That's good." Ruth said, smiling brightly. "I'm glad both of you made it back all right, but from what your husband tells me, you were the real hero yesterday."

Zelda thought it was strange to be referred to ask Link's spouse, but she was glad the older woman had done so. She still had to keep her identity a secret.

"Hardly." She replied, smiling at Link. "I just did what I had to do. This guy is the real hero."

"Well, regardless of who the hero is, we need to head out after lunch." Link said as he began scarfing down his food. "Astari is only a few days' ride away, and we still have business to attend to there."

"I guess so." Zelda muttered, wishing that she could have another day to recover, but knowing that Link was right to keep them moving.

Lunch passed quickly, and Ruth said a tearful goodbye as Link and Zelda walked out the door. She would never forget what they had done for her.

On that note, the princess and her hero left the small farming village feeling successful. They had not only completed a large portion of their work, but had also saved an elderly woman's life, along with most of the village.

With their success fresh on their minds, and Zelda's confidence boosted by her lone act of courage, they pointed their horses towards Astari and loped down the road, waiting for whatever adventure might find them next.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm getting great results on this story, so thank you to everyone! Sorry about the longish time it took to update. I was visiting my girlfriend for a few days, and writing gets put on the back burner when I'm with her.**

**I saw a question in a review from destinyschild02. She asked where Zelda's wrist blades came from and if they were magic. I apologize if that was confusing. Those blades were the ones she put on when she was about to leave the castle. They are not magic. They're based on Ezio's wrist blades in Assassin's Creed.**

**I also need to give credit to destinyschild02, because the idea for this chapter came from her. I was pretty excited to write it, but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I had major writer's block the entire time.**

Chapter 4

The ride to Astari took much longer than expected, with Link and Zelda catching sight of the city on the morning of the seventh day of their journey. It was enormous, being home to more than five hundred thousand people.

The city itself was moderately advanced. Many of the buildings had been built out of steel, and reached up as high as Hyrule Castle. What Zelda had said about their laws had been correct, though. They had been forced to surrender their weapons at the gates, where they would be kept until they left. Link had simply slammed the Master Sword down into the ground right in the middle of the path and laughed hysterically at the gate guards' attempts to move it.

"I still can't believe you did that." Zelda said as they walked through Astari's streets, wandering aimlessly in the hopes of finding a place to stay overnight.

"The sword thing?" Link asked, grinning. He had left the sword where he had put it, insisting that the guards were simply weaklings. It would remain there until he pulled it from the ground, blocking any large wagons from entering or exiting the city through that gate.

"Yes." Zelda replied, the traces of a grin edging up the corners of her mouth. "We're not supposed to be attracting attention to ourselves."

"We're not. Currently, attention is being attracted to a sword that seems to be stuck so firmly in the ground that no man can get it out."

"Well…still." She could argue with that statement easily, but it wasn't worth the effort. "Anyways, we need a game plan for tomorrow. Or are we just going to head out to that enemy camp and hope for the best?"

"I thought that was the plan all along." Link replied ruefully. "That's what I always did before."

"Yes, but you do remember that we have to remain somewhat stealthy? We can't just waltz in and start lighting voodoo priests on fire in the middle of their ceremonies. You were used to dealing with Ganondorf, whose minions always seemed to know where you were. You didn't need a plan. This is different, though."

"We didn't exactly plan that last incident out." Link commented, silencing Zelda for a few moments. She was beginning to get frustrated with his carefree attitude towards this subject.

"Link, we're going to be killing people." She said finally, keeping her voice calm. "You can't make light of that. You act like this is easy."

"You're mistaking me making light of that as not caring." He said. "Believe me, I care when I kill people. But at some point, you have to remove yourself from the act and stop thinking about it. Otherwise you'll end up like those war veterans who can hardly walk out of their houses without screaming at the air around them. Hell, I'm bad enough as it is."

"So this is your way of coping?" Zelda asked, feeling slightly guilty for accusing him.

"You could say that. I guess I just try not to think about the people I've killed. That's the best way."

"Interesting. I've known many veterans who tried the same thing but-"

"Is that who I think it is?" A voice cut through their conversation. Zelda's blood ran cold, thinking that her cover had been blown. Link reached for his sword on instinct, his hand flailing around until he remembered where it was.

"It's Link!"

"Damn it all." Link muttered, turning around to see who had recognized him. Zelda followed suit, relieved that she wasn't the target.

Before them was an imposing man, standing an inch taller than Link. He had long blonde hair, and sported a slender but obviously muscular body, looking about thirty years of age. He had fair skin and bright blue eyes that hinted at a vast amount of cunning intelligence. He was wearing padded, lightly armored clothing, which was usually used to throw off an opponent's perception of how fast the wearer would be in battle. Like everyone in the city, he carried no visible weapons.

"You've made a mistake." Link grunted, turning around.

"No, you're definitely Link." The man said, jumping in front of him. "I would recognize you anywhere."

Link glanced around, seeing that people were beginning to stare. Fortunately, he didn't have name recognition in the eastern portion of Hyrule due to having saved the country before the merge.

Making a snap decision, he grabbed the collar of the man's shirt and dragged him into a nearby alley. Zelda's eyes widened in shock, but she followed quickly.

"What the hell do you want?" Link asked, shoving the man back into a wall. "And is it so important that you have to scream about it in the middle of the street? I seriously doubt it."

The man didn't seem fazed at all.

"My name is Nicholas Render." He said, reaching out his hand. Link peered at it tentatively, thrown off by the man's civility. Tentatively, he shook it.

Nicholas continued. "I grew up in Hyrule and moved out here last year. I was in Castle Town when Zant's forces took it. You saved my life!"

"That's great, Nicholas. But right now, I'm on some important business. Is there something I can help you with?" Link asked.

"Yes, actually!" He exclaimed, becoming visibly excited. "I've been training with the sword since I was ten years old, and I consider myself the most skilled swordsman in all of Hyrule. However, there is one duel I've never had the chance to participate in."

Link scoffed. "You consider yourself the most skilled swordsman in Hyrule? Forgive me if I don't take your word on it. The best swordsman in Hyrule wouldn't have to tell others about it."

Again, Nicholas wasn't fazed by Link's attitude.

"I simply wish to duel you." He said. "Because I've not had an actual challenge in years, and I haven't lost a duel in even longer."

Link simply stared at Nicholas for a few seconds, completely at a loss for words. He wasn't used to dealing with blatant arrogance.

_The princess of the country doesn't even think this highly of herself. _He thought to himself before answering.

"If you haven't noticed, weapons aren't allowed in the city. Furthermore, I won't entertain the wishes of a self-important braggart. Go get a life."

He turned to leave, but Nicholas put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I have a life. I was sent here last year by Princess Zelda as the new captain of the guard, so that I could help retrain Astari's soldiers."

Link shot Zelda an icy glare, who cringed inwardly. She hadn't met this man before she signed him off to Astari. Her war council had given their recommendation, and she had simply trusted their judgment.

"The weapons issue in the city won't be a problem." Nicholas continued. "I can make an exception to that law for you so that we can duel."

"No thanks." Link grunted, shaking Nicholas's arm off of his shoulder and walking towards the alley's exit.

"You know, I could have you arrested for assaulting a city guard."

Link stopped again and closed his eyes. He let out a belabored breath, and then turned around.

"So you're blackmailing me now?" He asked, maintaining a deathly calm that made Zelda want to cower in fear.

"You could say that." Nicholas replied smugly. "You may bring your weapons into the city, per my orders. Tomorrow at noon, we will have a duel in the central square. I suggest that you show up. I can promise that you will regret it if you don't."

Nicholas brushed past Link and stopped to stare at Zelda. He squinted slightly, and then walked past her as well.

A few moments passed before Link turned around to look at Zelda again. There was no accusation in his eyes, contrary to what she had been expecting.

"You know I have to let him win." He said.

"Why's that?" Zelda asked.

"If he loses, he'll send me to jail. The sentence for assaulting the captain of a city's guard is ten years in prison."

"I can just pardon you the minute I get back." Zelda replied.

"After you complete our mission and travel back home alone? No, that's not going to happen and you know it."

Zelda shook her head and sighed. "Let's just go get a room in an inn and figure it out from there."

**BREAK**

"I could always just fire him before the duel." Zelda thought out loud, but Link waved the idea away as he tucked his sword underneath the bed.

"That would blow your cover. We have bigger things at stake here than my honor."

"Well he's getting fired either way." She grumbled, unhappy that Link had decided to purposely lose. It was, unfortunately, necessary. Though Zelda didn't like the decision, she was impressed that he could cast aside his personal feelings so that their mission wouldn't be compromised.

"I can't believe that this kind of thing is going on without the governor finding out. Isn't there a law preventing people from dueling in public squares?" Link asked. "It seems barbaric. It's like he's doing it for a show rather than for fun."

"Well, technically there's not." Zelda replied, lying back on her soft bed. "It just sort of died off over time. This is new territory, though. Things are different here. Some people have even called the other cities lawless, although really what it boils down to is lax enforcement of existing laws."

"You're aware of this, and yet you're allowing it to go on?"

Zelda sat up quickly, glaring at Link.

"I don't need you telling me how to run my country. If I needed your opinion on that, I would have asked."

"Whoa there." He said, holding his hands up in front of him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Zelda laid back down and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, knowing that she was overreacting.

"It's fine." She muttered after a few awkward moments. "Yes, I know that all of this is going on, but Hyrule's soldiers are stretched thin. I can't just force these people to agree with Hyrule's laws, either. They have to have time to see that I'm not just a power hungry monarch trying to limit their rights."

Link didn't respond, unsure of how to keep any conversation going after the princess had snapped at him.

"Look." Zelda said finally. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that people always doubt everything I do. I don't want that bleeding into my personal life, too. We're friends, not political rivals. Please trust that I'm doing everything I can about the new part of the country. It's just so hard to do everything all the time."

"You're right. I shouldn't question you, though." Link replied, shaking his head and sitting down on his own bed across the room. "Even ignoring the fact that you're royalty, I have no idea what it's like to run a country. Even the thought of being the mayor of Ordon was too much for me."

"You don't even know what I would give to trade with you." She said. "I think that despite that fact that I was attacked and almost killed by a raging Celt, this trip has been wonderful simply because it got me out of the castle."

"It's probably been just as good for me." Link commented. "I needed out of Ordon. That place is driving me crazy."

"Ilia?"

"No, not just her." He said, shaking his head. "It's just the place. The lifestyle. Everything about it makes me hate living there, despite how great some of the people are. Normally, I like to have some privacy. You don't seem to get that in a small town."

"You don't get privacy as the princess of Hyrule, either." Zelda said. "I think that's a universal problem."

"Good point. What would be your ideal job anyways?" Link asked curiously.

Zelda frowned, unsure of the answer. As much as she wanted to leave the castle and never have to deal with politics again, she didn't know what she would do if ever given the chance.

"Probably a soldier or a farmer." She answered eventually.

"A soldier?"

"Yes, a soldier."

"Why's that?"

"Well." Zelda started. "They get to travel, and the vast majority simply listen to orders and carry them out without having to put deep thought into it. Also, all of them know that they're doing something wonderful for Hyrule, whether they're in combat or not. I like the idea of discipline like that."

"And yet, you would also like to be a farmer. Farmers have self-discipline, but not necessarily discipline imposed on them by others." Link commented.

"I guess so. But a farmer's success often goes hand in hand with how much effort he puts into his fields. And, like a soldier, he knows that he is doing something wonderful for Hyrule."

"I wouldn't say that." Link said, sighing. "Maybe it's just me, though. Farming is boring, and I don't feel like I'm doing anything good for Hyrule with it. That's why I jumped at the chance to get away."

"Then why did you refuse my offers to commission you?"

"Because being a soldier would be just as bad." He said with a shrug. "I wouldn't be able to handle fighting as a part of a group. I'm sure you noticed that I'm a lone wolf in a very real sense."

"Well then what would _your _ideal job be?" Zelda asked.

"An adventurer."

"That's pretty basic. Where would you want to adventure?"

"I don't know, and it wouldn't really matter." Link said. "I wouldn't mind going north and traveling to the ocean. As far as I know, that whole area hasn't been mapped by a Hylian."

"You're right, nobody has ever mapped that area, but that's because nobody has ever come back from there alive." Zelda replied. She had personally sent a group of adventurers to the north with a commission to map the entirety of the area. None of them had returned by the end date of the commission, and were yet to show up at all.

"It's just a dream of mine. It's never going to happen." Link said, standing up and walking over to the window. He peeked out the blinds and sighed. "It's dark out. Let's get some sleep and get this duel over with. We need to be on the road to the east by the end of tomorrow."

Zelda nodded and rolled over in her bed as he blew out the candle, but then sat up.

"Why don't we just leave now? We won't have to worry about the duel at all." She asked, wondering why the thought hadn't occurred to her in the first place.

Link was silent for a few moments, but eventually responded.

"This Nicholas has no honor. The fact that he blackmailed me into this is proof of that. However, I will not go down to his level. I'm better than that."

"He's forcing you to duel him, and also making sure that you will lose." Zelda said. "Why should we be honorable when he isn't? He doesn't deserve that."

"And that's exactly why we're better than he is. He wouldn't show up, but we will. And besides, he's got guards outside the inn watching. If we try to leave, we'll be intercepted." Link said.

"Did you see them out there?" Zelda asked.

"Yes. They're making themselves obnoxiously obvious."

"That's wonderful." She grumbled, rolling back over.

"Goodnight, Zelda."

**BREAK**

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Nicholas called out to the gathered crowd. "Today I bring you quite a spectacle. I found Link of Ordon wandering the streets of Astari yesterday. In Hyrule, he is considered a hero, as well as quite the swordsman. Many of you have never heard of him, so let me tell you all a tale."

"A few years ago, darkness shrouded Hyrule. The lord of twilight and the King of Evil combined their power to try combining the twilight with the world of light, which would have caused a massive cataclysm, destroying the world as we know it."

"The princess failed to stop the threat as her castle fell to the overwhelming forces of darkness. She was trapped in a tower as the twilight slowly spread across Hyrule, turning those it touched into spirits, unable to do anything to help their country."

"When all hope was lost, a young man from the little farming village of Ordon traveled through the twilight, striking down hordes of enemies. Alone, with nothing but his wits and a sword, he traveled to the temples of Hyrule, destroying the sources of the King of Evil's power wherever he faced it."

"In the same fashion, he broke through the barrier of twilight, struck down the lord of twilight, and made short work of the King of Evil soon after. This man before you saved not only Hyrule, but the entire world."

"And so he is here before me today. Many consider him the best swordsman in all of Hyrule, but I aim to prove that wrong. So tell me, people of Astari. Are you ready to see the duel of a lifetime?"

The crowd cheered. More were gathering every minute, and Nicholas was obviously buying time for more people to show up. He was also talking up Link's ability so that his own victory would seem even more pronounced. He would likely do everything he could to make the fight seem as difficult as possible before he inevitably won.

"Can we just get this going?" Link asked. He was standing ten feet away from Nicholas on a raised platform. It was circular, much like the one Bo had trained him to wrestle on, except that it was much larger. People had gathered around it, peering out from the nearby balconies, sitting in makeshift bleachers, or just standing in the street. They were all leaving work simply to watch the duel.

"In due time, my friend." Nicholas exclaimed, chuckling. "We must give the people of Astari enough time to get here to watch this spectacle."

"You and I both know that this isn't going to be a legitimate fight." Link returned, rolling his eyes.

"I would be sorely disappointed if you threw your life away like that."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'threw my life away?'" Link asked, frowning. "Surely you don't think that this is going to be a duel to the death…"

"My friend, you should have read up on the laws before you agreed to this. All duels inside Astari's walls are to the death." Nicholas replied, laughing smugly. "I certainly hope you're prepared for this."

"This is bullshit. I'm leaving." Link said, sheathing his sword and turning around to where Zelda was anxiously waiting. Although they couldn't hear what was being said, the people in the crowd hushed slightly.

"Bad idea."

"Why's that?" Link asked over his shoulder.

"There are at least two hundred armed guards waiting for you to run. You will die. Your wife, or whoever that woman is, won't make it very far, either."

Link slowly turned around. The crowd had grown almost entirely silent by this time.

"Nicholas, you can threaten me all you want." He said, glaring at the captain. "But you _never _threaten her. If I lose this duel and you so much as lay a finger on her, I swear on Farore's name that I will come back from the grave and pull you apart limb-by-limb."

"That's a lofty vow." Nicholas responded, still laughing. "Master Link, you seem to think that I'm terrified of you. I suppose that most people would be. I, however, am certain of my ability to defeat you, and have yet to see any of those I've killed come back from the grave."

"Don't let him get into your head, Link." Zelda called from the edge of the ring.

"Shut your mouth, wench!" Nicholas yelled at her. Zelda merely glared at him, but otherwise showed no emotion. Link, on the other hand, drew his sword.

"Draw your weapon, Nicholas." He said, his voice deathly calm. "It's time."

The captain looked around and, seeming satisfied with the gathered crowd, drew his blade from his hip.

"In Astari, we gently clash blades before taking ten paces away from each other. We then turn around and the duel starts. After that, we fight to the death. There are no rules beyond that point besides that you must use a sword."

Link pulled the strings of his cloak, untying it from his neck and tossing it to Zelda. Next, he took the Master Sword's sheath off of his back and dropped it to the ground. They would only hinder his movements if he left them on. Nicholas had done the same with his light armor, choosing instead to wear flexible, nonrestrictive clothing.

In a small way, he felt relieved that he wouldn't have to purposely lose.

_He's left-handed. I'll have to adjust my fighting style. _Link thought, taking in his opponent's stance.

"People of Astari, are you ready for this?" Nicholas called to the crowd. They broke the silence with a roar that shook even the platform underneath Link's feet.

"Well then, no more wasting time." Link said, stepping forward and holding out his blade. "Let's begin."

Nicholas touched his sword to Link's, and they both turned around. Each one took ten paces, and then turned back to face the other.

"May the best man win." Nicholas said, smirking.

"Good luck." Zelda said quietly, so that only Link could hear from where he stood.

He dropped his sword point to the ground, staring Nicholas in the eye. For a few moments they stood there, waiting on the other to make the first move. A minute passed, and then two. The crowd grew ever more restless as the tension built between the two swordsmen.

Finally, Nicholas grew impatient with waiting. He wanted to cut Link down, not stare at him. He lunged, trying to drive his sword into Link's left side.

Faster than anyone in the crowd could see, Link flipped the Master Sword around and locked hilts with Nicholas. He turned and threw his arm across himself, using the captain's momentum to throw him to the ground. His sword clattered across the ring.

The crowd cheered, thinking that the duel was about to be over already. They wanted blood and gore, but were going to be sorely disappointed for the moment.

Nicholas landed hard, but rolled back to his feet. For a brief moment, his eyes widened as he realized that he was unarmed. Link, however, put the tip of his sword back to the ground.

"Go pick up your blade, captain."

Nicholas leaped over to where his sword was lying on the ground. He turned and sprinted towards Link, this time feigning to the right before he tried again to hack off his unguarded left arm.

Link blocked the hit easily, and then whirled around to strike Nicholas in the face with the back of his hand. The hit sent the captain sprawling onto his back. He recovered quickly, jumping to his feet and striking out with a horizontal slice. The move had no effect as Link blocked it again.

This time, however, Nicholas kicked out at Link's shin, landing a glancing blow. Link grimaced, but held his ground as he deflected more blows. Finally, he took a step back.

Nicholas, seeing that he was forcing him back, pressed his advantage and pushed harder. Link backed up as far as he could, eventually finding himself pressed against the back rail.

Still, Nicholas drove harder, and Link was becoming ever more convinced that the man was as good as he had claimed.

_I need to change my strategy. _He thought as he was nearly knocked over the rail. The captain was fast and powerful. More so than anyone he had ever faced in his travels. Even Zant hadn't been this good with a blade.

Making a snap decision, Link kicked out at Nicholas's groin in the most unexpected move he could think of, landing a solid hit. The captain groaned in pain and leaped back, barely avoiding a jab of the Master Sword. Link didn't give him time to recuperate, however. He lunged and let loose a flurry of attacks, not wanting his opponent to have a chance to decide on a new plan of attack.

It was Nicholas's turn to be driven back. He tripped over the Master Sword's discarded sheath, giving Link an opportunity to drive his sword downwards. It sliced through the captain's thigh, but failed to do any kind of effective damage.

Nicholas dove to his left, trying to circumvent Link's onslaught. As he did so, Link managed to catch the captain on his right wrist, although the wound was even more minor than the blow to his leg. As Nicholas rolled, he kicked out again, this time knocking the Master Sword out of Link's hand. It rolled across the ring and slid into the crowd.

The people of the crowd gasped, but Link didn't waste any time thinking about the loss. He reached into his boot and pulled out the dagger he always hid there. By this time, those around where the sword had fallen were trying to pick it up and throw it back in the ring, but failing in their attempts to do so. The blade simply wouldn't budge.

Nicholas rose to his feet and saw the dagger in Link's hand. He threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"You barely touched me with your sword. What can you possibly hope to do with a dagger?"

Link simply narrowed his eyes at the captain.

"When most would speak, you remain silent." Nicholas sneered. "Is that because you have lost all hope?"

"I have a tendency to never lose hope." Link replied, trying to distract the captain as a desperate plan formed in his mind. He would only have one shot at this, and Nicholas would be expecting it. It was his only chance, though. He couldn't possibly fight a man this skilled while armed with only a dagger.

"Come at me, Nicholas." Link taunted. "If you're as good as you say you are, then prove it to the masses. Strike me down where I stand."

"As you wish."

Nicholas sprinted forward and drove his sword out in front of himself. The stab would be impossible to block with such a short blade, so Link dove to his left. The tip of the captain's blade cut into his tunic, just barely nicking his shoulder.

Link wheeled around and planted his right foot. He drew his hand back and threw the dagger as hard as he possibly could at the captain, who was still reeling from having missed his target.

The blade found its mark, hitting Nicholas in the center of his back. The captain staggered and dropped to one knee momentarily, giving Link a chance to begin sprinting towards him. Before he could reach him, however, Nicholas stood up and turned around.

"You really thought that it would be a good idea to throw a knife at me?" He asked, grinning maniacally as he reached around and pulled the blade from his back. "You only hit my ribs. I must admit I'm disappointed that it had to end this easily for me. I thought that the one who saved Hyrule would be much better suited to face me in combat."

"It's not over yet, Nicholas." Link said, shaking his head. A glance over to where his sword lay showed that the people around it hadn't given up trying to toss it back to him.

The captain gripped Link's bloody dagger in his right hand and advanced slowly.

"Why is it that you want to kill me anyways?" Link asked, staring the man down as he approached. "What did I ever do to you?"

Nicholas stopped momentarily, but advanced forward again as he answered.

"Because you were better than me. Because it was you who got the glory and not me."

"And I deserve to die for something that was beyond my control?"

"Shut up and die like a man."

Link shook his head and took a few steps back, desperately trying to stall for time so that he could formulate a plan to get out of the situation. The prospects looked grim. He was completely unarmed and facing a very skilled, ruthless opponent. He couldn't even run, because he would never make it out of the city alive. Zelda certainly wouldn't

"Goddesses help me." He muttered as he backed into the wooden beams placed around the dueling ring. Nicholas was still advancing slowly, savoring the moment.

Link glanced over to where Zelda had been standing at the start of the match. Now that he was beginning to accept the high probability of dying, he wanted to see her again.

Zelda had disappeared, however. Link looked around frantically for her, but couldn't find her anywhere.

"Zelda?" He called out tentatively, forgetting about the cover that they were supposed to be maintaining. It didn't matter now. If he was going to die, he wanted his friend to be the last person he saw.

Nicholas stopped his advance again, puzzled. He seemed afraid momentarily, but shook his head and continued on. He was only ten meters away.

"Right here!"

Link scowled at Nicholas, resentful of the man for tricking him into this duel. In all of his short life, he had never thought that it would end like this. He had had much less of a chance against Zant and Ganondorf, and yet this arrogant, pigheaded wretch had been able to best him in a matter of minutes. Link had never been one to lose hope, but he knew he was out of options.

"Damn it, Link! Behind you!"

His consciousness didn't register Zelda's voice as he breathed a silent prayer to Farore. Only five meters separated the two swordsmen, with Nicholas advancing slowly for dramatic effect.

_He certainly likes to put on a show. _Link thought.

"Link, it's Zelda! Open your hands!"

Zelda's name kicked Link's cognitive function back into gear, and he opened his hands. In his left, he felt a sword hilt, and quickly recognized the feel of the Master Sword. Because he was turned slightly, Nicholas couldn't see the sword, and was still advancing slowly with little regard for his own safety.

He thought that he had already won the duel. It would be his last mistake.

Link let the captain advance the last few meters, going so far as to allow him to hold his blade up to his neck. The crowd fell completely silent.

"So this is how it ends, doesn't it?" Link asked. "I never thought it would be like this."

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do this." Nicholas replied, touching the tip of his sword up to Link's throat.

"Well then do it."

Nicholas tossed Link's dagger behind himself and planted his feet. Slowly, deliberately, he drew his sword back.

When the captain had drawn his blade back entirely, Link struck. Despite the awkward left-handed slash, the Master Sword cleaved straight through Nicholas's right elbow.

A gasp ran through the crowd as the severed wrist and hand fell to the ground. Nicholas took a single look at the stump and fell unconscious, landing heavily on the ground. Silence fell across the town square again as the people registered what had just happened.

Link looked down at his broken opponent.

_I should kill him. _He thought to himself.

He mulled the idea over for the briefest of moments, but instead slammed his sword into the floor of the ring and leaned over his opponent. He ripped the man's shirt apart and used it as a tourniquet on what remained of Nicholas's arm in an attempt to slow the blood flow.

"He needs a doctor." Link called out to the crowd, earning hundreds of confused stares.

"Aren't you going to kill him?" One man asked after a few seconds.

Link turned to the man and rose back onto his feet.

"Why on earth would I kill him?"

"He…" The man stuttered for a moment, but finally found his words. "It's a duel to the death. If you don't kill him, then you lose."

"And here I thought that I would find some civility among the people of Astari." Link replied. "I forfeit the duel, then. I refuse to kill this man in cold blood. Now, is there a doctor here who can take care of him?"

"I can." A woman near the front of the ring said.

"Good." Link muttered, lifting the unconscious captain and setting him into the arms of the people around the doctor. "I wash my hands of him."

After retrieving the Master Sword's sheath, he dropped down to where Zelda was standing and sighed.

"Let's go."

Zelda didn't budge. She simply stared at Link in shock, just like the crowd of people around him.

"What?" He asked.

"I thought you were going to die." Zelda whispered, barely audible among the growing crowd noise.

"I'm fine." Link said. "We need to get back to the inn before my body starts dumping all this built-up adrenaline. You don't want me out in public when that happens."

Zelda nodded, although her face was wild with emotion. She quickly fell in step behind him as they pushed through the crowd. The people were beginning to disperse, muttering in discontent. They had come for blood, but had been disappointed.

The walk to the inn, although no more than a mile, seemed like an enormously long time to both Link and Zelda. By the time they stepped into their room, Link had begun to shake nearly uncontrollably.

He sank down on his knees next to his bed while Zelda shut the door quietly. For a moment, she stood in the doorway, unsure of how to handle the situation. Eventually she decided that simply being near him would be enough.

As Zelda sat down on the edge of Link's bed, he took a deep breath and looked up at her. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was obviously trying very hard not to cry.

"How did you get the sword?" He asked. "I'm the only one who can pick it up, so how did you manage to do that?"

"I don't know." Zelda said, shaking her head. "I just grabbed it. It stuck to the ground for a second, like it was deciding whether or not to allow me to hold it. After that, it was as light as a feather."

"You saved my life." Link whispered.

"You know I would do anything for you." Zelda said honestly. "I owe you more than just my own life."

"Thank you." He choked out.

For a moment, Zelda debated whether or not it was wise to be in the same room when Link was upset. From her experience, men despised crying in front of others. Link seemed no different, having never shown any pain he was feeling to those around him.

"Would it be better if I left you alone for a while?" She asked.

"No. Please don't go." He said, looking up at her again. Through the tears in his eyes, Zelda could see a longing for something, although she didn't know exactly what for.

Zelda put her hand over Link's, hoping that it would be a small comfort to him.

"Why didn't you kill him?" She asked, hoping that it wasn't going to be a touchy subject. "He would have killed you, had the positions been reversed. He would have tried, at least."

"Because I like to think that I'm better than that." Link replied, gripping her hand. "I didn't want to kill him. I don't want to kill anyone. Before, I was fighting bloodthirsty monsters. These are human beings now. I can't just…end their lives simply because I can."

"Well, you spared Nicholas even though he didn't deserve it. You're turning out to be more of an honorable man every day."

Link didn't reply, instead choosing to look down at where his hands were clasped around Zelda's. For a few moments, they sat there in silence as he continued to fight back tears.

Finally, Zelda wrapped her arms around Link's shoulders and pulled him close. Like a small child, he sank into the embrace and broke down completely, letting all of his pain and guilt float away as he cried into her shoulder.

**END**

**This ending showed a different side of Link that I like to bring out sometimes. I think of him as similar to the American soldiers who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan. They go through things that no human being should have to go through, and most of them don't like to talk about it when they come back.**

**Please, no comments on ^this paragraph in reviews. This website isn't the place for that. It's just what I think of when I think of how Link feels when he comes back from his adventure. **

**And yes, men are allowed to feel emotion and even cry sometimes. Even Link.**

**Please review! I sort of hated this chapter when I was writing it because it was just so damn hard to get on the page (the reason it's so short), but I won't actually know until my readers review it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Celebrating 656 visitors and 1,312 views for the month of June! This has been my most successful story so far, and I can only thank my readers for that. Please keep reviewing and telling me what you like and what I can do better! I'm aiming for 750 visitors and 1500 views in July, and the only way I can do that is to pump out some good chapters.**

**I figured I would post some good music along with this chapter that helped me write this one. Snow Patrol's "The Lightning Strike," Anna Kendrick's "Cups," and AWOLNATION's "Sail."**

Chapter 5

The night after the duel, Link and Zelda found themselves riding east. The Celtic camp was marked on the map as being only a few miles behind their position, but they were yet to see any sign of it.

"If the Celts ever came this way, they were certainly good about covering their tracks." Link commented as they rode down the winding trail. He had recovered quickly from his emotional breakdown and, like most men, been rather embarrassed about it afterwards. It was of no concern to Zelda, though. She had simply been relieved to see that Link was still a functioning human being, rather than a brick wall with no feelings.

"Do you think they could have moved their camp?" She asked, desperately hoping that that wasn't the case. It would cause them a great deal of hassle as they hunted for the religious fanatics.

"I honestly don't know." Link replied. "I'm thinking that it's a good possibility. We did light their priests on fire at the other camp. Who knows what could have happened? If we're lucky, they'll have all moved out of Hyrule and we won't have to chase them across the countryside after all."

The wind blew from the east, bringing with it pure silence. For miles around, there was complete emptiness. Only a few trees grew on the flat plain, with none of them providing any kind of serious cover.

After a moment, Zelda shivered, feeling the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.

"Do you feel that?" She asked Link quietly.

"The eeriness of an open plain? The feeling that someone is watching you at all times?" He said, turning to her. "Yes, I feel it. It's the openness of the fields. I became accustomed to it in Ordon, but the fields there are nothing like this. There's just something about being here that makes my subconscious tell me to turn back and run."

"I don't think I've ever felt so alone out here." Zelda said. "Even with you right next to me, I feel like I'm stranded out here."

"It's your natural fear of the unknown. There's thousands of square miles of tall grass out here, which would be perfect cover for absolutely anything. I would imagine that there's something watching us this very moment." Link said.

"Or someone." Zelda muttered before speaking up. "Are we going to have to spend the night out here? I don't think I'll sleep at all if we do."

Link glanced up at the midday sun, judging the time. They had been traveling for five hours already, with no sign of the Celtic camp. They had passed the marked spot for the camp about an hour before, although there was a good chance that the map was wrong. There hadn't even been signs of a camp having been there, so they had traveled further east to see if the camp had been shown closer to Astari by some mistake.

"Zelda, who gave you this map?" Link asked a few minutes later, peering at the sheet curiously.

"One of my advisors." She replied.

"One of the dead ones?"

"No, it was Shad."

"Hmm." Link scowled.

"Why? What's on your mind?" Zelda asked.

"All but one of your advisors was assassinated. How many did you have before the assassinations?" Link asked.

"Sixteen. Oftentimes, they would vote on decisions and I would follow their advice. I would be the tiebreaker, should a tie occur in the votes." Zelda replied.

"Fifteen were effectively assassinated?" Link turned around again, his scowl deepening. "And yet Shad survived?"

"Where are you going with this?" Zelda asked. "Are you saying that Shad is the one who… No, there's no way in hell that he would do that."

"Yet he survived an assassination attempt that killed fifteen highly guarded advisors. I find it hard to believe that Shad, of all people, was able to fight off or even run away from an assassin. Even if this was a group of assassins, they were obviously highly skilled." Link said, keeping his voice neutral in an attempt to keep Zelda from getting upset. "And then he gave you this map, which led us into the middle of an empty plain. There was obviously no enemy camp here within the past year or so. Besides myself, who else knows that you're out here?"

Zelda paused for a moment, her mouth hanging open slightly as she processed the information she was being given.

"Shad is the only one who knows where we are." She admitted finally. "But I don't think Shad would betray me. There's no reason for him to."

"Or is there?" Link asked. "You're the last of your bloodline, correct?"

Zelda nodded. "There aren't any traceable relatives."

"What position was Shad on your council?" Link continued.

"Sixteenth…" The pieces were coming together for the princess.

"With no traceable relatives, who would be the first in line to take your seat as monarch should you die without an heir?"

"It would be an advisor, starting with the highest living chair. The first chair, second, so on. All the way down to the sixteenth. After that, it would be the speaker of the council, which is currently Marcus Brutus." Zelda said. "After that, all of the remaining council members would vote on a successor."

"So Shad would be the first in line to take your job should you die?" Link asked.

"My goddesses…" Zelda muttered, not wanting to believe that such a thing could be possible. This line of events had never even occurred to her.

"Who can I trust if not Shad?" She asked quietly. "He was my closest friend on the advising board."

"You seem to trust those around you quite easily." Link said. "Just because Shad is a close friend doesn't mean that he doesn't have ulterior motives. Don't get me wrong and think that I know that for sure, but it definitely looks fishy."

"Yes, it does." Zelda agreed. "Although, if nothing negative happens out here, we can reasonably assume that it was just a mistake on the map."

"I certainly hope that's what it is." Link said. "Otherwise Shad has quite a bit of explaining to do."

"How did you figure all that out so quickly?" Zelda asked. "I've never seen you as the intellectual type, though you're certainly not pure brawn. I just never expected you to be able to think through things like this so quickly."

"I've learned a lot." Link replied. "And I don't have as much of an emotional attachment to Shad as you do, so I'm more likely to see the facts without being blinded by my personal feelings."

"Well, be that as it may, we have two options." Zelda said, stopping her horse. Link followed suit and turned Epona around so that they could face each other.

"And what are those?" He asked.

"Well, we can continue onwards to see if the map was simply mismarked, or we can turn around and follow a new lead to one of the other camps." Zelda said. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, let's say that I'm right about Shad." Link mused. "That would mean that the only logical thing for him to do would be to have assassins wait for us at the site where the camp was marked. Or at least that's what I would do if I wanted to assassinate a princess and her highly dangerous bodyguard."

"And if you're wrong and this is just a mistake on the map?" Zelda asked.

"Then the camp would be further ahead." Link said, pointing off to the east. "However, that doesn't seem to be the case. We can see at least eight miles to the horizon, and we know from experience that these camps have large bonfires. In this kind of daylight, and on flat ground like this, we would see a smoke plume from thirty miles away. The border to Celtica is only twenty miles ahead, so I find it unlikely that there's an enemy camp in between here and the border."

"So basically you're telling me that there's no camp?" Zelda asked.

"Yes. If I'm wrong, then we need to turn back and go to one of the other camps on the map. It will be quite a bit more traveling than we expected, but it's what we have to do to get the job done." Link said.

"You're the experienced adventurer." Zelda said. "You tell me what we need to do."

"I'm tempted to believe that my suspicions about Shad weren't well-founded simply because we passed the 'campsite' without being assassinated." Link said. "So let's just say, tentatively, that it was a mistake on the map. I thought it looked funny anyways, seeing as how it was so close to Astari, and none of the residents mentioned it around us. So let's turn back, stay in Astari another night, and head north tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan." Zelda said, nodding. She turned her horse around, and Link rode up beside her. They started moving forward, and Link spoke so quietly that Zelda could barely hear.

"We're definitely being watched right now by someone. Epona was going nuts back there, and I see at least eight different spots in the field where people are hiding in the grass. They're going to follow us and attack. When that happens, you're going to run." Link said. Zelda's eyes widened in shock, but he shushed her.

"Zelda, you need to listen to me. They think we're unaware of their presence, which gives us an advantage. Once we settle into a lope, they'll probably attack us so that we don't get away. You need to do exactly as I say, no matter what happens to me. I'm expendable. You are not. I'm going to do everything I can to hold them off. You get back to Astari and find somewhere to stay. I'll catch up with you. If we get too far apart, meet me in the alley where we met Nicholas at noon tomorrow."

Zelda nodded, her face getting paler by the second.

"Keep your wits about you." Link added, scooting Epona slightly closer so that he could reach out and grab her hand. "Please do exactly as I said. I'll be fine on my own, as long as I don't have to worry about you."

"Okay." Zelda whispered, squeezing Link's hand. "Be safe."

Link let go and glanced around the countryside. The small patches of disturbed grass were barely noticeable to someone who had never been trained to watch for threats constantly. Link, though, was quite competent, and had spotted them after only minutes.

He eased Epona into a trot, and then let Zelda's horse go into a lope before speeding up. Sure enough, the disturbances in the plain began moving like shadows behind them, trying to keep up.

"Damn." Link muttered to himself, wishing that he had been wrong. Whatever these were had been following them; of that there was no doubt. They moved quickly, although the horses were slowly pulling ahead.

_How can anything move that fast without even getting above chest height? _Link wondered, seeing that whatever was in the grass was staying completely concealed as it followed them. His hand itched to draw his blade, but he knew that to do so would give away his knowledge that they were being hunted.

As the horses pulled fifty feet ahead, whoever was following them broke cover. An arrow whizzed past Zelda's head, so close that it sliced off a small lock of her hair.

"Go!" Link yelled. Zelda took one look back, seeing that there were now ten cloaked assassins aiming arrows at them. The sight made her mind want to freeze, but she forced through the terror and spurred her horse forward.

"Get out of here!" She heard Link yell. His voice had fallen behind. Her horse broke into a gallop, and was off.

Or so she thought.

Seemingly from nowhere, an arrow planted itself in her horse's front-left shoulder. The stallion dropped immediately as his leg completely gave out from underneath their combined weight.

Zelda cursed as the horse went down, jumping from the saddle and rolling into the grass. Her stallion was alive, but horrendously injured. She would never make it back to Astari without a horse. She turned to face the trail, peeking out of the grass ever so slightly to see what was going on.

Link had only just seen what had happened to Zelda, and was in the process of bounding towards Epona. As she watched, three separate arrows missed him by mere inches. He leapt up onto his horse and, with a whoop, was off down the trail.

"Zelda!" He yelled as he neared her horse's quivering form.

Zelda rolled out of cover, seeing that the assassins were working on getting closer before they would be able to fire more arrows.

Link immediately reached down and grabbed her arm, yanking the princess onto Epona. He slid back in the saddle and set her down in front of himself, using his body as a human shield against any stray arrows. As they galloped further from danger, he lifted his shield from where it was strapped to Epona's saddle and put it against his back.

"Take the reigns." He said to Zelda. She did so as Link pulled his bow from his back and knocked an arrow.

"See them try to shoot my horse." He growled, turning around so that he was riding backwards. "They'll rue the day they tried."

A whinny from far behind them echoed across the plain. Another followed, and then another.

"How the hell did they hide horses in a field of grass?" Zelda asked, frustrated.

"Hides dug into the ground." Link said, groaning. "They've obviously been planning this out for a while."

"I see that." Zelda said, urging Epona to move faster. The horse was capable of carrying this pace for miles, but would be unable to take them all the way back to Astari. They would be fighting these assassins eventually. It was just a matter of when.

"Can you use magic in a situation like this?" Link asked. He could see one of the cloaked men riding into his line of sight over the long grass.

Zelda glanced back at the approaching assassin. More would follow soon, and Link couldn't handle them by himself. There were too many.

"I'll light your arrows on fire. Aim low and light the grass near the trail. If their horses don't run into it, they might at least spook."

"Sounds like a plan." Link said. "Whenever you're ready."

Zelda concentrated her thoughts, focusing intently on the arrow.

"Ready." She said. Immediately, she heard the twang of Link's bow.

"_Ignis!_"

The arrow landed well short of the growing group of assassins, just as it was supposed to. As if fueled by some magical rage, the fire lit the surrounding grass in a matter of seconds. Within a few more, the trail and the surrounding area were engulfed in a thick sheet of flame and heavy smoke.

"Good hit." Link confirmed. The assassins veered away from the flames momentarily. Only two of the horses were willing to continue forward, and so the others were forced to ride around the rapidly spreading grass fire.

"Two currently behind us." Link said. There was a twang of his bow, and a few seconds later he amended the statement.

"Just one now. I think I hit him in the face with that one."

An arrow dropped to the dirt next to Epona as they continued to gallop forward, making Zelda's nerves go completely haywire. That was one too many close calls for her in a single day. Another arrow dropped to the other side. A third clanged against Link's shield.

Link's bow twanged, and he let out a curse. Another twang followed immediately.

"They're catching up to us. The fire looks like it only stopped one of them. We have eight of them still on our tail." He called over his shoulder. His bow twanged again. "Seven. I got his horse."

"How many arrows do you have?" Zelda asked.

"Not enough." Link replied. An arrow crashed into his shield again. His bow twanged.

"Six."

Zelda heard Link shuffling around in his quiver. Along with it, she heard the frightening noise of only a few arrows knocking against each other.

"How deep are we in trouble?" She asked, bracing herself for the answer.

Link paused momentarily before answering.

"I only have five arrows left. There are six behind us. I'm going to have to do something you're not going to like." He said.

"Don't you dare get off this horse!" Zelda yelled, turning her head so that she could see him.

Link released an arrow, cursing as it went high.

"Link!" Zelda said, elbowing him. "I've already come too close to losing you. Don't make me go through that again."

Link smiled as he released an arrow. It hit one of the horses, downing it.

"You don't have to worry about losing me, Zelda." He replied. "These guys obviously aren't very good shots."

"That doesn't mean they aren't good with their swords." She said. "Don't get off the horse."

He fired two more, neither of which hit any of the remaining targets. The assassins were still firing arrows at them, but had the disadvantage of having to guide their horses at the same time. At the extended range, they were simply wasting their arrows.

Epona was tiring, though. She wouldn't last more then another mile at the breakneck pace required to escape. Especially not with two full-grown adults sitting on her back.

Link loosed his final arrow, planting it just below his intended target. Immediately, he tied his bow to the saddle and dropped the quiver from his back. When he had discarded all of the unnecessary weight, he turned and reached around Zelda.

"What are you doing?" She asked, realizing only a second too late that he had strapped his shield around her back.

"Remember where I told you to meet me." He said, pulling the hood up on his cloak. "Epona is tired, so let her slow down at her own pace. I'll distract them while you get away."

"Link, no!" Zelda turned and grabbed his hand as he readied to jump from Epona's back.

"I'm sorry, Zelda." He said. "It's the only way to keep you safe."

"Damn it!" She yelled. "You're throwing your life away! Don't do this. Stay, and we can fight the assassins together!"

"No." He replied, shaking his head. "I'm not going to put you in danger."

"Stop acting like I'm the most important person in the world because I'm the princess!"

Link looked up so that Zelda could see his eyes underneath the shade of the hood. "I'm not doing this to protect the princess. I'm doing this to protect _you_."

With that, he leaped from Epona's back and rolled into the tall grass.

**BREAK**

The five remaining assassins pulled up short in the trail, seeing who stood before them.

Their leader, who had survived the onslaught of Link's arrows, dismounted his horse. Like the rest of his men, his arrows were completely depleted, or he would have shot the bodyguard on the spot.

"I'll be a good guy and give you three strikes." Link said, concealed deep within the hood of his cloak. "Drop your weapons."

The leader laughed.

"How do you suppose you're going to make us do that?" He asked, drawing his sword. The other four men dismounted and drew theirs as well.

"Well, that's strike one." Link said. "Here's your second chance. Who sent you?"

All five of them laughed this time.

"You're not going to be getting that information." The leader said.

"Strike two." Link replied. "Last chance. Drop your weapons."

"No."

"Strike three." Link said, reaching up and pulling his hood off. "I would suggest that you all start running.

Had he been able to see their faces, Link would have seen a flicker of fear run through the assassins' eyes as they realized who they were about to fight.

They weren't cowards, though. All five of them raised their swords in unison.

Link stared at each one for a brief moment before turning his gaze to the leader.

"Bring it on."

**BREAK**

Epona collapsed from exhaustion the moment Zelda brought her into Astari's stables. The loyal mare had kept up a fast lope for over two hours, bringing the princess to safety in record time. It was almost as if she understood the importance of the task Link had indirectly given her.

"Thank you." Zelda whispered, reaching down and scratching Epona behind her ears while she slept. For a moment, she considered staying in the stables to tend to the horse, but imagined that Link would chastise her for such a thing.

_I'm not doing this to protect the princess. I'm doing this to protect you. _Link's words ran through her mind for the thousandth time since he had stayed behind.

_What did he mean? _She wondered, but didn't have time to ponder. She needed to find a place to conceal herself within the city until she knew that she was safe. There was a high possibility of more assassins waiting within Astari itself, should their comrades fail. Without Link, Zelda would be in quite a bit more danger. She had never been able to truly become a skilled fighter, having spent most of her time studying magic or dealing with politics. Magic wouldn't be much of a self-defense option within the city, either. She would likely kill dozens of innocents if she tried.

As she walked through the gate, one of the guards stopped her.

"Is everything all right, ma'am?" He asked, concern evident in his face.

"Yes." Zelda lied. "Why?"

"You…" The guard paused, thinking carefully through what he was about to say. "You look like you've just gone through hell and back. Didn't I see you leaving this morning with a companion? Why isn't he with you?"

Zelda shook her head. "You must be mistaken. I left alone. Thank you for checking on me, but I'll be all right."

The guard didn't look convinced. "Surely a woman of your beauty isn't traveling alone."

Zelda had heard all of this before. Every time she went undercover, guards would stop her for various reasons for a chance to talk. They all said the same things, but she would usually humor them for a few moments. Today, though, she was in no kind of mood.

"I appreciate the compliment, but I really must be going." She said, and walked through the gate. She didn't have time to linger out in the open.

The crowded streets of Astari provided adequate cover as Zelda moved from alley to alley, hoping to find an inn, warehouse, or even an abandoned house. The latter two wouldn't be comfortable, but would at least provide her security in knowing that she would not be seen. Such a thing didn't seem to exist in Astari, however. All of the inns were located near the main square, and the houses seemed to all be packed full of people.

As night drew ever closer, Zelda began to fully realize how overcrowded Astari was. There wasn't an empty building to be found.

_What would Link do?_ She thought to herself, frustrated with her fruitless search.

For a few moments, she peered out into the main street from an alley. It was packed with people coming home from work. There were eyes everywhere. If assassins were looking for her in the city, they would be focusing their efforts here. Furthermore, she wouldn't be able to defend herself with magic here because of the high risk or collateral damage with innocents.

_Link would go out into the street and use the people as cover. _She realized. The thought was terrifying, knowing that any one of them could be looking to kill her. However, the chances of someone harmful being there were only moderate. On top of that, she could blend in with the crowd easily and move down to one of the inns on the other side of the main square.

A dense crowd was moving down the street; passing close enough that Zelda could slip in the back of it unnoticed.

"Here goes nothing." She whispered, pulling up the hood of her cloak and sidling into the large group. It was headed towards the main square, and a few of the people were talking to each other.

"-announcement?"

"I don't know, honestly. It must be important. Why else would the governor require that we assemble in the main square?"

"It better be important. I had to leave work for this."

"I'm sure it will be. Governor James doesn't do this often, and certainly not for minor issues."

"Last time it wasn't overly important."

The group had reached the edge of the main square. In it, Zelda could see that the city's residents were gathering around a large pedestal that had been erected.

_What is this all about? _She thought curiously.

The people she had been walking with slowed down and stopped at the edge of the crowd. Zelda groaned inwardly. Forcing her way through the large crowd would only attract unnecessary attention to herself.

_Looks like I'm staying for whatever this is. _She thought, hoping that she could make her way to the inns on the other side of the square afterwards. They were only a few hundred feet away. _So close, but so far._

"Excuse me." She asked one of the women standing next to her. "When is this announcement supposed to start?"

The woman looked over curiously at Zelda before answering. "It's at five."

"Thank you." Zelda replied. Based on the giant clock looming over the middle of the square, that would be in less than five minutes.

The people in the crowd milled around, none of them paying any extra attention to Zelda as she hid underneath her hood. Whenever the chance presented itself, she would ease in the direction of the inns. The slow movement took her halfway across the square, but was not enough to get her to safety before the clock struck five.

On cue, Astari's Governor James climbed up to the top of the podium, bringing the crowd to a hushed silence. Any chance Zelda had of being able to get to an inn disappeared as the audience members stood stock-still.

"People of Astari!" The governor called out. "I'll get straight to the point so that we can all move on with our lives."

"Princess Zelda, the sovereign of our country, has been ousted and is now a fugitive on the run."

For a moment, Zelda didn't understand.

_What is he talking about? _She thought as a slight murmuring ran through the crowd.

"I understand that this is unexpected." The governor continued. "I certainly didn't see this coming. It seems that the royal council has evidence that she was misusing her powers as the princess of Hyrule."

_My goddesses. Link was right… _

"Also to be noted is that she was last seen traveling east from Castle Town with Link of Ordon. Link was engaged in a duel with our guard captain yesterday, accompanied by a woman that we suspect to be Princess Zelda in disguise. If any of you see Link, he is charged with aiding a wanted fugitive."

"For now, Speaker of the Council Marcus Brutus is serving as our interim executive until the princess is captured. Anyone with information on either the princess or Link's whereabouts should come to me immediately. There is a hefty reward for their capture, including for those whose information leads to their capture."

Zelda felt as if she were being run over by a freight carriage. This was unreal. First, they had assassins. Now, the council had made both her and Link fugitives from the law.

_How could they have done this? Where did they get the support for this? _She wondered as her brain worked double-time.

"Thank you, citizens of Astari, for your time tonight. I'll be opening my doors a few hours early tomorrow if any of you have information on the princess's whereabouts. Pictures of both of the fugitives will be posted around the city tonight."

With that, the governor climbed down the ladder on the podium and left, accompanied by his guard. The crowd began to disperse slowly, but Zelda stood rooted in place.

_How could they betray me like this? _She wondered. A single tear rolled down her cheek, unnoticed by the passerby as they made their own ways home.

For the citizens of Astari, life would go on as normal. Most, if not all of them, would be completely unaffected by the news. The governmental processes never reached out this far into the countryside.

But for the rest of Hyrule, this could be a disaster. Zelda held a small hope that Councilor Brutus had nothing to do with this, but she knew that the chances were minimal. Shad hadn't been mentioned, though. There was still a chance that her friend was faithful to her.

As the crowd began to disperse even further, Zelda was forced to move towards her destination. She couldn't let her emotions get in the way of her safety. Almost completely silently, she walked into a random inn, paid for a room, and went upstairs.

She had a lot to think about before the morning came.

**BREAK**

Just as the governor had promised, morning brought uncannily accurate pictographs of Link and Zelda posted around Astari. Had she not changed her hair color, she would have been spotted immediately. With blonde hair and a concealing hood, though, she was free to wander the streets unhindered.

Here and there, she was able to pick up news about the state of the country. The reports in the newspapers were jumbled, but they all seemed to claim that the council had staged a coup of the entire governmental system in a matter of days. In Zelda's absence, it had been only too easy. Many dissenting councilors had been jailed, and the courthouses were rid of their judges.

Although she couldn't be sure, Zelda suspected three councilors in particular. After moderate amounts of thought, Marcus Brutus was a no-brainer. Had he dissented with the idea of overthrowing the government and putting out a warrant for her arrest, he wouldn't have been made the "interim" executive.

The second was Gaius Cassius. He had long been a problem in the court. The man was perpetually scheming against the sitting monarch, even having tried to overthrow Zelda's father. Because he was part of a democratic system, however, the king hadn't been able to simply execute Gaius. The people had continually voted the man back into office.

The last, and certainly the most obvious, was Councilor Judas Iscariot. Before her departure, Zelda had been tracing hundreds of leads back to him, although none of them had turned up sufficient evidence to allow her to imprison him through the legal system. What she had found was evidence of a massive scheme to take the government. The investigation hadn't come together fast enough, though. It would have likely been another year before Judas were to be incriminated by the evidence in a court.

And so these things seemed to have come together. Zelda hadn't acted fast enough, and had left at the exact wrong time.

Noon was approaching quickly, so she made her way to the alley where Link had initially dragged Nicholas. It was empty, and set well away from the main street. Link, however, was nowhere to be found.

A quick glance at the massive town clock told Zelda that it was only five minutes past when he was supposed to arrive, and so she relaxed. Time dragged on, though, and still he didn't appear.

Finally, the nagging voice spoke in the back of her mind.

_They killed him._

_No. _She thought, rejecting the possibility. Too many bad things had happened since he left. _There's no way I can handle that._

_Just because you can't handle it doesn't mean it's not true. It was five against one. The odds didn't look good._

The clock showed twelve-twenty. Link was nowhere to be found, so Zelda peeked out at the surrounding side streets. They were completely devoid of life.

_What's going on? It's like Astari completely emptied over the past few minutes._

A commotion at the end of the street made her turn, however. There was yelling, along with the sound of clanking armor.

"Get him!"

"Goddesses that man is fast! Someone get a hold of him!"

"Sergeant! I got-"

A loud crack interrupted the speech, which was immediately followed by the thump of a body hitting the ground.

"Shit! He took down the lieutenant! Someone get him!"

With an explosion of activity, Link came barreling around a nearby corner. The front of his cloak was caked with blood, both dried and fresh. His sword was in hand, also covered in blood. Zelda's eyes widened in shock when nearly twenty guards appeared behind him.

Link made momentary eye contact before gesturing for Zelda to stay back. She dived back into the alley, while Link led the guards in a different direction.

With staggering dexterity, he leaped up and grabbed onto the roof of a nearby house, flipping himself backwards and onto the roof of the adjacent home. The guards below him stopped, looking up at him in shock.

"Later, ladies." He said with a smile. With that, he leaped onto another roof and disappeared.

Zelda dived behind a corner, hoping that none of the guards had noticed. A few more guards ran by, including a dazed lieutenant with a badly broken nose.

"Where did he go?" One of them yelled.

"He jumped up on the roof and disappeared, Lieutenant. There was nothing we could do."

"You didn't think to get up on the roof and check?"

"John is up there right now, but he hasn't seen anything."

"You sent _one _private up on the roof to hunt down the most dangerous man in the country?!"

Zelda nearly screamed as Link dropped down directly behind her.

"Afternoon, your majesty. I hope you know why all these guards suddenly attacked me when I got back."

"Yes, but we need to get out of the city first." Zelda replied, forcing her initial panic down.

"Well, the guards at the eastern gate are currently distracted looking for me. I'd imagine that's our best way out." Link said, standing up and offering his hand to Zelda. She took it and allowed him to help her to her feet, giving her just enough time to feel the multiple deep cuts on his wrist.

"What happened?" She asked, pulling up his sleeve. His right wrist was covered in cuts, including one jagged one that reached almost to his elbow.

"I got captured after I killed two of those bastards. They wanted me to tell them where you went, and I refused. They decided to cut up my sword arm." Link said, pulling his sleeve back down. "Don't worry about it. I can fight left-handed until it heals."

"If you say so." Zelda said, looking up at his face. His eyes were both black, as if he had been hit multiple times. Above all, though, he looked exhausted.

"Can you even make it out of the city?" She asked, concerned.

"I don't have a choice." Link replied, turning around. "Let's just go. This whole trip has been a mess. We need to get back to the main part of Hyrule and figure out what we're going to do."

"That may be a bad idea." Zelda said, but pushed Link's back slightly. He took the hint and started jogging down the empty street, checking corners as they came to them to make sure that the guards had their attention focused on the rooftops.

"What happened in Hyrule?" Link asked finally as they darted across another empty street.

"The council staged a coup. We're now wanted fugitives"

"Was it Shad?"

"As far as I've heard, no." Zelda replied. "It seems to be Councilor Brutus, and I suspect that councilors Gaius Cassius and Judas Iscariot are involved as well."

"I don't suppose you know what to do when we get back, then." Link said. "We can't exactly go waltzing into Castle Town."

"You took that a lot better than I thought you would." Zelda admitted. They could see the eastern gate above the rooftops. It was completely emptied.

_Such quality guards. _She thought to herself.

"Well it's not like it's your fault." Link said, holding up his hand for her to stop. He looked out into the square by the gate. There were only a few people out.

"We're going to have to sprint to the stables." He said. "I couldn't get your horse to stand up, so we'll have to steal one that you can ride. Or you can buy one if you're feeling overly compassionate for the owner. Just make sure it doesn't take too long. We're going to set out to the east and angle over to the right after the ridge. That way, they'll think we're headed to Celtica."

"Sounds like a plan." Zelda replied.

"Okay…" Link muttered, looking around. "Go!"

They sprinted from the alley and into the square. The few people there turned and looked curiously, but didn't seem to recognize either one of them. There was some murmuring, but the pair made it out of the gate unhindered. The stables were only a few feet away.

Epona was still there, just where Zelda had left her the night before. Link set to work saddling her while Zelda looked for a strong horse. She finally found a chestnut-colored gelding that looked to be quite powerful.

"This one." She called over to one of the stable hands. "How much can I buy him for?"

"Oh, that one is the owner's." The elderly man said. He was peering curiously at Link. "Don't I…Oh…" He began to take a step back in fear, realizing who the man coated in blood was.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Link said, tightening the girth strap on Epona's saddle. "I just need a good horse to get the princess out of here. Please help us. We can pay whatever you need."

The old man shakily set down his rake and took a few steps towards the end of the stable.

"I have an Arabian in here." He said, opening the door to the stall. "She belonged to the captain of the guard, who died from shock and blood loss after your duel with him. He won't be needing her anymore."

"Thank you." Link said. He tossed Epona's reigns to Zelda and went to help the elderly man with the new horse's saddle.

"I lived in Castle Town when it fell to Zant." The man said as he put a saddle blanket on the horse's back. "I haven't forgotten what you did for Hyrule, even if the Council has. And I certainly haven't turned my back on Princess Zelda."

He turned and bowed to Zelda.

"Thank you for all you've done, your majesty." He said, rising shakily. "This horse isn't much, but I'm glad I could help, even as just a lowly stable hand."

"Thank you." Zelda said, a genuine smile coming to her face. "What's your name?"

"Jim." He said.

Zelda reached into her pack and pulled out a silver rupee.

"Jim, thank you." She said, tossing him the small fortune. "If we make it through all of this, I certainly won't forget you. Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. You certainly have today."

"We're ready." Link said, and turned to put a hand on Jim's shoulder. "Thank you, Jim."

"You're welcome, Master Link." He replied. "Now hurry, before the guards realize you've left."

Link led the Arabian to Zelda and helped her into the saddle before climbing onto Epona's back. He looked back to Jim.

"Never tell yourself that your position in life is too lowly to be of use to anyone. Heroes don't come from noble lineage, and most of them aren't ever knighted. Heroes are the people like you. The people who stand up for what they believe, and risk everything to do so. They're the people who help in every way they can simply because they know it's the right thing to do."

With that, Link kicked Epona into a gallop. Zelda followed quickly. The guards had showed up at the eastern gate just in time to see the two riders disappear over the eastern ridge.

**BREAK**

Days later, Ruth welcomed the pair back into her inn with open arms.

"I saw the posters." She said to Link, and then turned to Zelda. "Are you actually…?"

"Yes, I'm Zelda." She replied, but stopped the old woman as she began to bow. "I'm not a princess right now. Please don't worry about formalities."

"Very well." Ruth replied. "Do you two need a room? I have one left that I can give you two. It's good timing. There's been quite a few travelers coming from Western Hyrule in the past couple days, ever since that government takeover."

"Yes, please." Zelda said. "Do you have any information about the coup?"

"Only what travelers have told me on their way through." Ruth said as she ushered the two of them inside. "Why don't you two go get washed up? I'll wash all the blood off of your cloak, Link. Then you two come down into the kitchen and I'll tell you what I know while I cook dinner."

Inside, there were at least thirty people packed into the small dining area. Most of them looked up to see who the visitors were. Link immediately wished that he had kept his cloak so that he could conceal his face. The reaction to the blood would have been much less troublesome than the immediate recognition.

"Link?" One of the men in the corner asked. His voice had a familiar ring to it, causing Link to turn and look.

The man had light brown hair, a thin face, and wore large glasses. He had on a black jacket.

"Shad?" Link asked. His hand instinctively went to his sword, but he stopped himself. He didn't know what the situation was, and he certainly wasn't going to cut the scholar to pieces in front of so many people.

"Come upstairs." Zelda said from behind him, quickly turning so that the people in the room wouldn't recognize her. A few already had, but that couldn't be helped. Shad obeyed Link's orders immediately, leaping up and sprinting up the stairs to catch up with them.

"Here, my room is over here." He said as they reached the living area. They walked inside, finding a small mountain of books lying around.

"What the hell is going on?" Zelda demanded as Link shut the door.

"Councilor Brutus went insane!" Shad exclaimed. "The day after you left, he called to council to order and they abolished the courts. He took over the castle and put out a warrant for your arrest. He couldn't track you, so he looked for Link instead."

"And how do we know that we can believe you?" Link asked, pushing Shad back as he moved slightly closer to Zelda. "You would have a personal interest in having all fifteen of the other advisors assassinated and then sending us to the most godforsaken part of Hyrule, where ten assassins were conveniently waiting."

"Wait, what?" Shad's mouth dropped open. "No, I would never try to have anyone assassinated! Much less you two!"

"Cut the shit." Link said, drawing his sword. "Nobody else had access to that map. You gave it to Zelda with a phony marking so that we would travel to the closest Celtic camp. Not to mention that the _real _camp we found wasn't marked at all. How do you explain that?"

"Link, I swear to the goddesses…" Shad was beginning to panic. "I came here to try to find you when all of this happened! Why would I attract your attention if I had purposely deceived you and tried to have you assassinated?"

Link lifted the point of his sword to the scholar's throat. "I'm not taking your word on that. It's all too convenient. I don't doubt that Marcus Brutus is involved in all of this, but I would stake my life on the fact that-"

"Link!" Zelda interrupted, placing her hand on his. "Put your sword down. He's not lying."

Link closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was torn between running the scholar through and listening to Zelda.

_She's always right about these things. _He told himself, desperately trying to calm down. He tentatively lowered his sword and sheathed it.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

**END**

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. We're finally getting to the main plot! Please leave me a review and let me know how I did setting this up.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I was replaying Mass Effect 3, and I realized that Astari sounds a lot like Asari. Just for the record, that wasn't intentional. Despite the fact that the Asari were definitely my favorite race in that game.**

**I know this chapter is short, but it's sort of different than what I've written so far. I was having a hard time trying to start what will now be the next chapter on the end of this, so that's just how it's going to be.**

Chapter 6

"Why would I go through all of that hassle to make sure you were successful and able to save the princess only to betray you a few years later?" Shad pleaded. "I would never want the throne! That job would be horrible. Both Zelda and her father despised it."

"That would sound like a logical argument if every piece of evidence we have didn't point to you." Link said. He had been interrogating the scholar for hours, but had failed to make any progress in getting the man to admit that he was at fault. Zelda had left to eat dinner, making Link promise that he wouldn't lay a finger on Shad, no matter what happened.

Link was beginning to regret that promise. He could have beaten the information out of Shad much more effectively.

"Goddesses, Link. What's gotten into you? Since when could you not trust a single person? Especially your old friends." Shad said.

"Since I started protecting Zelda." Link said. "I'm not going to take chances with her life."

"Is that seriously it?" Shad looked baffled. "You were never like this before, even when the princess's life depended on your success. You never treated your friends and allies like this."

"My friends and allies didn't make me think that there might be more to their stories." Link replied sourly. "They certainly never gave me maps that led Zelda and myself to assassins."

"I told you a hundred times already. That was just a mistake. I was misinformed by the people who-"

"The people?" Link interrupted. "What people? Did someone else make this map?"

"Well, yes. There was…oh dear goddesses…"

"What?" Link demanded.

"The scouting group that was sent out to explore the eastern portion of Hyrule was fully funded by Marcus Brutus." Shad said. "They couldn't find the funding initially, and so Councilor Brutus paid the cost out of his own pocket."

"How does this relate to what's going on right now?" Link asked.

"That scouting group was the same one who provided me with that map. It's likely that Councilor Brutus had access to that map before I even knew it existed." Shad said.

"Dear goddesses, Shad. Did you not think this through before you pulled it from the library?" Link said. He had to check himself before he grabbed the scholar's collar and shoved him against the wall for the third time.

"I'm sorry, Link. We all make mistakes." Shad replied, shaking his head in shame. "Even me."

"These are kinds of mistakes you can't make when you're an advisor the future queen!" Link yelled.

"There's nothing to do about it now." Shad said. "Thanks to you, the princess survived the assassination attempt. It's likely that the military has remained loyal, and will help us by storming the castle and taking Councilor Brutus by force."

"Are you sure about that?" Link asked. "Most of them would never defy direct orders from a superior. If the officers were in on this, that would change things completely."

"I've seen multiple soldiers coming through here after deserting." Shad said. "A few of them were officers who were unwilling to do the things being asked of them."

The door opened and Zelda staggered in.

"I hope you two have figured out your issues." She said casually. "Because you two fighting all the time would be bad. Link would kill you, Shad."

"Forgive me, your majesty, but you don't seem the slightest bit concerned that the country has been taken over by traitors in the court." Shad observed. Link almost flinched. The thought had been running through his mind over the past few days, but he had withheld himself from voicing it.

Zelda, on the other hand, had a smile from ear to ear.

"Well, now that you mention it, I'm not." She admitted. "I'm almost of the mindset that Marcus Brutus can have Hyrule if he wants it. Being a monarch is horrible."

"But your people need you, your majesty." Shad protested. "Councilor Brutus is already becoming an ironclad dictator. He's going to ruin Hyrule!"

"Marcus Brutus can go screw himself." Zelda murmured before dropping onto Shad's bed. "And in the meantime, I'm going to take a nap."

Link eyed her curiously before sharing a look with Shad.

"Is she…?"

"I think she is." Link said. He walked over to where Zelda was and tentatively poked her. She didn't stir. She had fallen asleep in a matter of seconds.

"Dear goddesses." He muttered, leaning over her and sniffing her breath. "She smells like a liquor cabinet. Has she ever had alcohol before?"

"I don't believe so." Shad said with a chuckle. "It looks like she spilled some on her pants."

"Link!" Zelda yelled, leaping out of bed. "I'm not asleep, I'm just…"

"Just drunk and pretending to be asleep in the hopes of scaring me?" He asked, catching her hand as she swayed. She pulled herself close and wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't remember." She muttered.

"How many drinks did you have?" Shad asked.

"Too many." Zelda replied.

"That's descriptive." Link said. "Why did you start drinking all of a sudden?"

"Because that bastard Marcus is raining on my parade." Zelda said, looking at him seriously. "And I don't like it when my parades get rained on."

Both Link and Shad laughed.

"I'm going to take her back to our room so that she doesn't throw up all over your books." Link said to Shad, pulling the princess towards the door.

"Probably a good idea." The scholar said, sliding a pile of old tomes slightly closer to himself at the thought.

"I'm not going to throw up!" Zelda protested.

"You say that now. Wait for another half hour." Link replied knowingly. "You may not even take ten minutes, actually."

The short trip across the hallway seemed like a marathon to Zelda, who staggered multiple times. Finally, they made it, and she dropped onto her bed and sat to force the dizziness away.

"Wow…" She muttered. Her speech was becoming more slurred by the minute. "I never thought that being drunk would feel like this. It's so…different. It's like flying."

"Are you human who can change into a wolf, or are you a wolf who can change into a human?" She continued. "Because that would be pretty epic if you were actually a wolf. But that would be sort of bad, too."

"Why would that be bad?" Link asked, humoring her drunkenness. One of his favorite pastimes was taunting drunk people.

"Because then…well…I don't know. You would eat me or something."

Link laughed. "I think it's firmly established that I'm a human, so there's no need to worry about that. I can't even turn into a wolf anymore, now that Midna is gone."

"Did you love her?" Zelda asked suddenly, her voice becoming quiet and serious.

"Excuse me?" Link asked, shocked for a moment. Drunkenness always seemed to bring forth peoples' pressing questions. This was obviously one of Zelda's.

"You heard me."

"I don't think I want to go over this right now." Link said. "Not while you're drunk. Ask me when you're sober."

"But won't I forget?" Zelda asked. She was smiling again.

"Not if it's such an important question."

"But I want the answer now!" She yelled suddenly, and then giggled loudly. "Please."

"Why does is matter?" Link asked.

"Because it just does. I want to know more about the man who saved my life so many times."

"Then ask when you're not drunk." Link said, shaking his head. He could likely tell her anything without her remembering by dinner, but this wasn't the right setting to talk about that. "What's-"

"Have you ever had sex?" Zelda interrupted.

Link laughed and shook his head. This was one of the many favorite topics of drunks.

"No, I haven't." He replied. "But seriously, we need to get you some rest-"

"You're a good person, Link." Zelda interrupted again. It seemed that drinking water to prevent a hangover was the last thing on her mind.

"Thank you. I'm glad you think so." He said, giving up on trying to distract her.

"No, I _know _so." She said seriously. "Because you could definitely convince me to have sex with you right now and you're not. You look so hot in green. You have no idea. And when you're fighting people for me… That gets me going."

"Dear goddesses, Zelda." Link felt the heat rising to his face. This was certainly the last thing he had expected.

"That's what you would be moaning." She added with a mischievous grin. "You should come over here and I'll-"

"No, I'm not coming over there." Link stopped her. "That's inappropriate."

"You don't want to play?" Zelda asked, looking thoroughly disappointed.

"No, that's the last thing I'm going to do with you right now." Link replied.

"Maybe Shad wants to." She said absentmindedly, but stopped after thinking about it for a few seconds. "No, never mind. He would probably only last a few seconds. You would be like a god in bed, though."

Zelda giggled to herself as Link stood up and walked over to the window. This was getting out of hand quickly.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Who is it?" Link called, reaching over and placing his hand on Zelda's mouth to prevent her from saying anything stupid.

"It's Ruth."

"One second." He replied, walking over and opening the door a crack.

"Is Princess Zelda all right?" Ruth asked, looking concerned. "By her fourth drink she was staggering and slurring all her words."

"You mean she only had _four_?" Link asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes. I usually stop people at five." Ruth said, grinning. "Apparently the princess doesn't hold her liquor well. I just wanted to make sure that she was being taken care of. I trust that you won't be taking advantage of the poor girl while she's inebriated?"

"Of course not." Link said, scowling slightly at the thought.

"Oh, he will be!" Zelda yelled from inside the room. "If I have any say in it."

"I don't think I've ever met such a…sexually forward drunk." Ruth was holding back outright laughter. "You should have heard her going on and on about you to me."

"Was anyone downstairs to see that?" Link asked, concerned. It would be bad for the princess of the country to be getting so stone cold drunk in front of people that even her basic moral judgment went out the window.

"Just me." Ruth said. "Don't worry. My lips are sealed."

"Thank you. She'll learn her lesson before dinner." Link said.

"I brought you a pot, as well." Ruth added, handing the old pan through the doorway.

"I promise I'll pay you extra for this." Link said, taking the pot graciously.

Ruth just laughed and shut the door.

"Good luck." She called as she moved down the hall.

"You like her." Zelda said, grinning.

"She's at least sixty years old. Don't you think she's a little old for me?" Link asked, chuckling.

"Well you seem to like the older girls."

"Really?"

"Yes." Zelda replied. "First Midna and then…well… I don't know."

"Probably because there wasn't much in the way of romance for me once Midna left." Link said, setting the pot down on the bed in front of the princess.

"So you _did _love her? Ha!"

Link sighed, glad that she wouldn't remember this conversation.

"Yeah, I did." He admitted. "It's all over now, though. She's gone, and I've moved on with my life. There wasn't any use dwelling on it."

"Is there anyone?" Zelda asked. She was beginning to turn slightly pale, showing the first signs that she would be throwing up soon.

"No, not yet." Link replied. "There probably never will be."

"Why not?" Zelda said, getting serious again. Her speech was still slurred, but she was as focused as a drunk could be.

Link sighed. "Let's just not talk about it. If you seriously remember this later, when you're not drunk, you can ask me then."

Zelda scowled and opened her mouth to talk, but stopped.

"Oh goddesses that doesn't feel good." She muttered. "Not good at all."

She began to lie back on the bed, but Link caught her and forced her to sit upright. She gripped her stomach tightly, groaning as she did so.

"Just let it out." Link said, patting her back softly.

Zelda grabbed the pot and retched, spilling her entire lunch and most of the alcohol that remained in her stomach. After a few heaves, she gasped and fell back onto the bed.

"Sit up." Link said, pulling her up again.

"Damn it, Link." She groaned, already sobering up. "Why do you have to be here right now? I don't want you to see me like this."

"Because you've clearly never been drunk." He replied, laughing. "Glad to see that you're thinking clearly so quickly."

Zelda tried saying something, but was interrupted by the urge to throw up again.

"Most of this is mental." Link said when she was done. "Your body expected to be drunk, and so it made that happen. You weren't actually."

Zelda just groaned in response, lying down again.

"I'll let you get some rest." Link said, standing up and moving towards the door. "Make sure you sleep on your side."

"Wait." Zelda said, sitting up slightly. Link stopped with his hand on the door and turned to face her.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." She said, realizing even through her drunken stupor that Link had been there for her.

"Thank me when you have your country back." Link replied, and then walked out the door.

**BREAK**

Zelda awoke with a start and sat up. She immediately regretted the decision. Her head felt like it had been crushed by a cargo wagon, and her stomach felt like it had heaved up every ounce of water in her body.

_It did. _She thought, groaning quietly. She couldn't remember anything prior to throwing up, and had fallen asleep soon afterwards. She thought that she had seen Link once or twice after that, but she couldn't remember clearly. Everything felt like it was in a haze.

A quick glance at the window showed that night was in full swing. She laid back down slowly, breathing heavily as she did so.

_The princess of Hyrule can stand up to politicians and assassins alike. _She thought. _But a few drinks knock her out for half a day. It's a good thing I never did this in the castle. There would have been an uprising._

Then, as a side note, she thought. _There was an uprising._

After a moment of orienting herself, she looked around the room for water. Conveniently, there was an entire pitcher on her nightstand. In a very unladylike way, she picked up the entire thing and began chugging.

Halfway through, Zelda nearly screamed as she saw Link's dark outline in one of the cushioned chairs. She checked herself, though, scolding herself for nearly waking him up.

_Of course he would be in here. He would never leave me unguarded. _

She chastised herself after a few moments. He had likely stayed there awake as long as he could to make sure that she didn't roll onto her back and drown in her own vomit. It looked as if her clothing had been changed, as well, although she had no doubt that Link had had Ruth do it. He was too honorable to take advantage of her like that.

Zelda finished the water and, although her thirst wasn't quenched, decided that that would be enough for now. Too much water at one time would make her feel sick if she were dehydrated.

"Zelda?" Link murmured.

She turned to look at him, thinking that she had woken him. He was still fast asleep, though.

_Is he dreaming about me? _She thought, smiling at the thought.

Link stirred slightly, and only then did she notice that he was sweating. His face was contorted into an almost painful scowl, and he was tensed as if something would pounce on him at any moment. This was no dream. This was a nightmare.

"Link?" Zelda called out softly, hoping to wake him from whatever torment he was going through. He began twitching slightly, and was completely unresponsive to her voice, so she slowly got out of bed.

Link's sword was lying on the ground underneath his feet. Zelda moved it away quietly. She didn't want him waking in a panic and swinging that around. Years before, Midna had told her about how often he would do that when they were camping out in the open.

"Link." Zelda said, slightly louder than the first time. He still didn't wake.

"No." He muttered, shaking slightly in the chair. His scowl deepened even further. "Stop, please. Wait. Take me."

_What is he thinking about? _Zelda almost reached out to touch his shoulder, but thought better of it. He would likely react violently to being woken up by touch.

"Damn it, no!" Link growled.

"Link." Zelda said loudly, taking a step back. Still he didn't wake.

Link murmured on for a few more minutes, although nothing was audible. Finally, Zelda pulled a blanket from her bed and laid it over his sleeping form, comfortable with being near him now that his nightmare was over. He almost looked peaceful now, having lost the dangerous edge to his eyes now that he was asleep.

Zelda was fascinated now that she could look at her hero for a few moments. He really was handsome. His entire body was carpeted in thick muscle, and yet she could tell by his face that he was kind and gentle. She knew better than to think that he was a merciless, efficient killer. There was more to him than that.

His hair was the same as it had always been, but she liked it that way. It fit him. The lone earring seemed to have been cast aside at some point. Zelda felt her eyes lingering on his face time and time again, though. She had never really appreciated how _attractive _Link was.

_Why don't you have a girl at home? _She wondered curiously. She had personally witnessed him shun the advances of multiple well-known women of Castle Town. To her knowledge, he had never even been in a relationship with a woman. At twenty-one years of age, he should be married. Most boys in farming villages like Ordon did so even younger.

_Who or what are you waiting for? Or is there something else? _

A few moments later, one of the conversations from the afternoon broke through the haze and came to her mind.

_Probably because there wasn't much in the way of romance for me once Midna left. _He had said.

"It's Midna, isn't it?" She muttered to herself. It made sense. He and Midna had traveled and faced death together for over a year. It would have been natural for them to fall in love during that time. Midna's unexpected departure would have hurt Link in ways that he would never admit.

It took a few minutes for Zelda to sort through her feelings before she realized that she was jealous.

_Goddesses. _She thought, turning around and walking away from Link. _I've got bigger things to worry about than who Link is in love with._

She lay back down on her bed and sat against the headboard for a few moments. The alcohol had run its course, leaving her wide-awake now that she had slept through the evening.

Link stirred again, and then jumped slightly as his eyes opened. For a brief moment, he looked around frantically, trying to get his bearings.

"Crap." He muttered to himself, realizing that he had fallen asleep. He stood up, only to be caught by the blanket Zelda had laid on him moments before.

Link picked up the blanket and turned to lay it back on Zelda, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized that she was awake and staring at him.

"Dear goddesses, Zelda." He hissed, tensing in shock. He relaxed after a moment.

"Are you ok?" She asked. "You were having a nightmare."

A flicker of unreadable emotion passed through Link's face, but he waved away her concern.

"I'm physically fine, and that's what matters." He replied. "I'm sorry I fell asleep. I meant to stay up and guard you."

"That's all right." Zelda said. "It's not your fault I'm a lightweight when it comes to alcohol."

"Well hey, at least you don't have to pay as much to have the same amount of fun as I do." Link said with a chuckle. He picked up his sword from where it lay on the ground and set it on the bed across the room.

When he had situated a few of his other possessions and taken off his cloak, Link turned to Zelda again.

"How much of all that do you remember?" He asked, grinning.

"I think it's probably a blessing that I hardly remember a minute of it, save for near the last few topics before I threw up." Zelda replied. "Did I do anything that I need to know about?"

"No, nothing in particular. Although let's just say that we should never be drunk at the same time." Link said, laughing.

"Why?" Zelda asked. She was beginning to get worried. "Did you get drunk, too? Did we…oh no, we didn't do anything, did we?"

"Calm down. You know I wouldn't do anything to you while you're drunk." Link said.

_Maybe I want you to. _Zelda thought, but shoved the stray idea aside.

"Thank you for taking care of me." She said after a few seconds of silence.

"It was sort of entertaining, so there's no need to thank me." Link replied. "And you know I would do anything for you."

_Like killing Zant in front of my castle, and stepping between myself and Ganondorf with the intention of killing him or to die trying. Or fight off ten assassins at once to protect me. Or stay up and guard me all night despite my poor decision to drink. _

"Why do you do all this?" Zelda asked suddenly.

"All what?" Link said innocently.

"You know exactly what I mean. Why do you do so much for me? What reason do you have for doing all of this? You have your own personal life to take care of, and here you are out here on my whim, protecting me with your own life."

"You're the princess." Link said, shrugging. "I feel like it's my duty to protect you."

Zelda scowled. "And yet as you jumped off the horse on a suicide mission, you told me otherwise."

"I'm not doing this to protect the princess." He said, reflecting on his own words. "I'm doing this to protect you."

"Will you explain that, please?" Zelda asked.

"Sure, if that's a royal order." Link replied. "I feel more devotion to you than I do your status in life. If I didn't like you as a person, I wouldn't go to hell and back to protect you, princess or not."

"That's it?" Zelda felt a strange pang of disappointment at his words.

_What's gotten into me? _She thought to herself.

"What are you trying to ask me?" Link asked. He sat up a little straighter and squinted at her curiously.

"Nothing. Just…never mind." Zelda stuttered out, unable to look anywhere but the ground. "It's probably just the alcohol."

"The alcohol wore off ten hours ago." Link said suspiciously. "Are you still feeling sick?"

"No-yes-Goddesses, I don't know." Zelda spat out.

Link stood up and walked over to the bed.

"You're acting strange." He said, laying a hand on her forehead.

The touch sent shivers straight through Zelda's body, followed by a strange tingling. She stared up at Link's concerned face, although she could barely see it in the darkness.

"Your forehead is a little warm." Link muttered, moving his hand to her cheek. The touch had the same results as before. Zelda had been rendered completely speechless.

_I'm too old for this. _She thought. _Do I…? No, there's no way._

"You must still be hung-over." Link concluded. He threw the blanket back over the bed and grabbed the pitcher of water. "I'll go get some more water, and then you should rest."

"Okay." Zelda choked out. Her vocal chords had completely betrayed her.

"Damn, you really don't need to drink in the future." Link murmured, opening the door and stepping out into the hall. It shut with a small thump, and she heard him walk down the stairs. Filling the pitcher would take a few minutes, since the well was in the middle of the village.

"Holy crap." Zelda whispered to herself once Link's footsteps had died away.

She had no idea where that burst of emotions had come from. A simple touch from any man had never elicited that kind of reaction from her. Link had been no exception to that. They had been in physical contact multiple times before, and it had never made her react in that kind of way.

_Any other time we've been in physical contact, it's because our lives were being or were recently threatened. _She realized. That had been the first time Link had ever put his hands on her for anything besides physical protection.

_Or maybe it's just the fact that I'm more emotional at the early hours of the morning. _She argued, trying to find an alternative.

_Or maybe it's because you're twenty-three and haven't so much as courted a man in your life. And now for the first time, you've found a strong, protective, handsome man and have been spending time with him. You've found a man that isn't bothered by your status in life, and isn't concerned with the fact that he's technically a peasant. One that doesn't seem concerned about anything besides your safety and well being. _The nagging voice in the back of her head told her. It wasn't going to let her out of this outburst with an excuse.

_I hate you. _She told the voice. _I have too many things to worry about to be letting my personal feelings change things right now. I need to focus on taking my country back before Marcus ruins it._

Zelda took a few moments to realize that she was arguing with herself, and felt slightly foolish afterwards. Link could be heard coming up the stairs, and soon entered the room with a full pitcher of cold water.

"Here you go." He said, handing the pitcher to Zelda. She took it graciously and drank as well as she could with her trembling hands. Link lit a candle while she drank and set it on the nightstand.

"Dear goddesses, your face is red." Link said. "You must actually be sick. I wish we had some ice, but that's a luxury for the castle only. We'll have to make due with cold water and rest."

He blew out the candle after a few more seconds and sat back down in his chair.

"I'm going to nap, but I won't sleep so deeply that I won't know what's going on." He said, leaning back. "Get some rest and we'll see how you feel in the morning."

Zelda nodded, but remembered that Link couldn't hear her nod.

"Okay." She whispered, lying down on the pillow and knowing that her brain was racing too fast for sleep.

A few moments passed before the voice in the back of her head won a small victory.

"Thank you, Link." She said quietly.

"For what?" He asked sleepily.

"Everything."

**BREAK**


	7. Chapter 7

**Every day I'm amazed by the results this story is getting. Thanks for all your reviews! I initially set a goal of 1500 views for the month, and I'm already at 875 (as of 7-16) despite my delays in posting, so this is going much better than expected!**

**The dream referenced in this chapter is the one from the very end of chapter 2. If you don't remember it, you might want to go reread it. It's only like 400 words.**

**I felt I should add that much of that drunk dialogue between Link and Zelda in the last chapter was recycled from the countless times my roommate came back to the dorm drunk last year. Many interesting conversations and events developed from those nights. Too many.**

Chapter 7

The road back to Ordon was littered with deserting soldiers. Hundreds of them passed while Link and Zelda kept their hoods down. Drawing attention to themselves could have caused chaos. It was also entirely possible that some of them had not actually deserted and were instead looking for the princess.

"Here comes some more." Link muttered as a small group of them appeared over a far hill. They were still wearing their uniforms, but looked as if they had painted over the Hylian crests and emblems. Even their shields had been covered and painted red.

"It must be getting worse." Shad commented from where he rode behind them. "Very few of them had left when I bailed."

Zelda could hardly believe what was going on. The severity of the situation had yet to set in, mainly due to her being so far from the castle. Now that they were nearing the main portion of Hyrule again, and seeing so many of her most loyal soldiers leaving, it brought a deep pain to the princess's heart. She wanted to stop every one and beg them to turn back. To help her take the castle back from Councilor Brutus. But Shad had forbidden it, saying that it was too dangerous. He claimed that they could always go round the soldiers up again if they needed a fighting force.

"I'm going to stop this group and see what kind of state Hyrule is in." Shad said. "You two just stay behind me. They won't recognize me."

Link and Zelda merely nodded. As the soldiers approached, they pulled their horses to the side of the road and waited.

"Hail!" Shad called out once the men had come near enough. "Is there a ranking officer here?"

"I'm a Master Sergeant." One of the older ones said. "Or was, until a few days ago. I'm afraid that'll have to do for now. The officers aren't as free to leave as we are. How can I help you?"

Shad dismounted his horse and shook the Master Sergeant's hand.

"It's Shad." He said.

"Conroe."

"I was hoping you could tell me about the kind of state Hyrule is in right now." Shad said, getting to the point. "We know that Councilor Brutus took over, and that Princess Zelda is missing. Otherwise, we're sort of in the dark."

"Well, that's a whole mess back there." Master Sergeant Conroe said, pointing his thumb back towards the main body of Hyrule. "Brutus has it locked down tighter than a maximum security prison. He's enacted martial law until the princess is found. The government is in complete chaos. All but ten of the councilors were executed in the main square of Castle Town, and every high ranking officer's family was abducted to ensure the military's loyalty. He even brought in nearly ten thousand mercenaries from the west."

Shad could almost feel Zelda scowling from behind him. She had always disdained leadership through fear. To do something so cruel to the officers of Hyrule's military spoke volumes about the future of Hyrule under Marcus Brutus's control.

"What about the lower-ranking officers?" Shad questioned, hoping that they could somehow escape.

"That's not much better." The Master Sergeant said, shaking his head sadly. "If even a single officer deserts, his commanding officer's family will be executed. And the same goes for them and the average joes like us. Our commanding officer was killed during the takeover, though. We were free to leave without any traceable repercussions."

"What unit were you in?" Shad asked.

"The 507th Infantry. Grunts, basically." The Master Sergeant replied. "We all split up and have been heading down this road all day. You've probably seen a lot of them. We have one lieutenant coming behind us, and then about two hundred families. Behind them we have at least fifty men on horses that we stole from the mercs."

"So you have a sizeable force?" Link chimed in. He rode up next to Shad and pulled his hood down.

"Goddammit Link." Shad muttered. The Master Sergeant peered up at the hero suspiciously, and nearly jumped when he realized who it was.

"Link!" He exclaimed. "The remaining members of the council were looking everywhere for you. They put a bounty on your head that could feed half of Hyrule for the next ten years. They said you were out here with…"

Conroe stared at Zelda, where she was still cloaked and hooded.

"Oh goddesses." He whispered. Immediately, he dropped to one knee. The soldiers behind him all gasped as they realized what was going on, and then followed their superior's example.

"Get up." Zelda said immediately, getting off her horse. "I've already been attacked by assassins once in the past week. I don't want any observers to see who I am."

"My apologies, your majesty." Master Sergeant Conroe said, standing up.

"Don't even call me 'your majesty.'" She replied. "We're not in the castle, and I'm certainly not a princess right now. I believe Link asked you a question."

"Ah, yes." Conroe said, turning back to Link. "I didn't get a solid count, but we've got at least four hundred soldiers and just as many family members."

"Where are you sending them?" Link asked.

"Lieutenant Allen has us headed east to Astari, where he was going to have us split into ten groups and blend in." Conroe said.

"That would be a good plan, except that we might need you." Link replied. "If there's any kind of battle to take the castle back, Zelda and I can't do it on our own."

Conroe looked back down the road, where a group of three men could be seen coming over the nearby hill.

"That's the lieutenant." He said. "You'd have to talk to him about that. I'm only the fourth in charge, anyways. I don't have any real authority here."

"Thank you." Link said. "I've seen already that you're loyal because of what you said when we were concealed. Is everyone here as loyal as you are?"

"To the bone." Conroe replied without hesitation. "They wouldn't have left otherwise."

Link nodded.

"Let's go talk to the lieutenant." He said. Shad and Zelda got on their horses and rode up next to him.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Shad asked Link quietly as they rode forward.

"No." Link replied. "I'm never sure if anything is a good idea. But if we want to have the support of the people, we need the military on our side. Without the support of the military or the populace, Brutus will fall."

"I'm not so sure." Shad said. "Marcus is ruthless and efficient. He doesn't give a crap if the people are on his side or not. He would oppress them even further if he felt his control slipping."

"But if the military doesn't support him, he can't tighten his control." Link argued.

"It's not that simple. The thing with dictators like him is that they will stop at nothing to get what they want." Shad said. "They'll employ spies to target the resistance groups, destroying them before they can even build in strength. You heard the Master Sergeant say that Marcus employed mercenaries, as well. Where the military fails, he can simply hire the extra help."

"Maybe we can get out of this without having to fight, then." Link replied as they approached the Lieutenant and two of his soldiers.

"Lieutenant Allen?" Link called out, dismounting at a respectable distance.

"Who goes there?" Allen asked. He was a young man, probably only a few years older than Link. Despite his age, he already sported a large vertical scar over his left eye. His short blonde hair and blue eyes hinted at innocence, although Link knew better than to think that that was the case. His armor was pristine, as if he had just polished it. One look at his eyes told the tale of exhaustion, though. He had likely been on his feet for days.

"Link of Ordon, Shad of Castle Town and advisor to princess Zelda." Link said, ignoring Zelda's presence so that there wouldn't be a commotion.

Lieutenant Allen nodded in respect towards the pair. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you to get your men back to Hyrule once their families are safe. The force of words is not likely to take down councilor Brutus. We're going to need to put some steel behind our attempts to reclaim the castle." Link said.

Allen stared at Link for a long moment before remembering to breathe.

"This…" He stammered. "It's unexpected. What are you expecting to do? Do you have any support?"

"I know you have a lot of questions. But before any of them, I have one for you." Link said, cutting into the lieutenant's hesitation.

"Okay…" Allen peered at him curiously.

"Are you still loyal to Princess Zelda?"

"Well, yes." The lieutenant replied. "Of course. I've…killed many people in the past week for that loyalty."

"You're a good officer and an even better man, then." Link said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But I need you to stick around. Right now, you have a large force of men that are ready to fight back against the corruption in the council."

"I barely got these men out of Hyrule alive." Lieutenant Allen argued. "There's no way I can ask them to go back. We lost about a quarter of them in battle with the mercenaries before we got to Ordon."

"Lieutenant, in case you haven't noticed, you're still in Hyrule." Link said. "Those mercenaries can still be sent after you easily. They're probably just regrouping."

For a moment, Allen looked completely thunderstruck, as if the possibility of being followed had never occurred to him. After a few moments, though, he took a step towards Link.

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" He demanded, putting a finger on Link's chest. "Last time I checked, you weren't in the military. You have no idea how to use strategy, or how to order men into battle. You have no experience. How dare you come here and demand that of me like we're old friends? Since when have I taken orders from you?"

If Link was phased by the outburst, he didn't show it.

"I suggest you take your finger off of me." He said, giving the lieutenant an oblong stare. "Remember that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. I am the enemy of your enemy, and I promise that I'm the most dangerous enemy Marcus Brutus will ever face. Pissing me off is a bad idea."

"You're arrogant." Allen retorted. "I'm not sending more of my men to die on your whim. I won't leave more widows and orphans for the world to take care of."

"Lieutenant, you have a duty to protect the citizens of Hyrule." Link said, maintaining his deathly calm. "You took an oath to do so. And now here you are running away. If the princess were standing here right now, would you be so comfortable doing this?"

"The princess isn't here." Allen shot back. "She left us. While Marcus captured our families and took away our freedoms, she stayed in hiding. So did you, for that matter."

"And yet, here I am traveling towards the castle, whereas you are running away." Link replied. "I've been protecting and defending the princess, and here you are deserting her when she needs you the most."

"Oh really? You've been protecting her? I don't…" Lieutenant Allen started, but stopped as he looked back to Zelda's horse and got the same kind of expression on his face that Master Sergeant Conroe had when he had realized who it was.

"Dear goddesses." The lieutenant muttered. "Not running…just…"

"Taking care of business at the wrong time." Zelda finished. Allen tried to kneel, but Link stopped him.

"Your majesty, I certainly never meant to-"

"Enough." Zelda interrupted. "I understand your frustrations, and why you would lose hope. Running away is not an option, though. As Master Link said, you took an oath to serve Hyrule and myself. In that order. Now more than ever, Hyrule needs you. If you run, who will fight? Who will see to it that Councilor Brutus's coup is no more than a small, forgotten blemish in Hyrule's proud history?"

The lieutenant balked for a second, and then looked down at his feet.

"What would you have me do, your majesty?" He asked after a few silent moments.

"I leave that decision to you." Zelda replied. "As I am no longer princess, I have no authority to issue orders. What I'm asking is that you get the soldiers' families to safety and then return them to Hyrule as quickly as possible. As commanding officer, this decision is yours. I can't promise that there won't be blood and death waiting for you, should you decide to come back. All I can promise is that your service will not be forgotten if Brutus and the rest of the betrayers are overthrown."

"I…" Allen looked back at Link. "I'm sorry, Master Link. I shouldn't have been so disrespectful to you. You were just trying to get me to do the right thing."

"You weren't trying to kill me, so that's a plus." Link said. "Don't worry about it. Do we have your support or not?"

"Yes, you do. Give me three weeks and I'll have my men back. Where will we meet?" The lieutenant asked.

"Keep your men hidden. Split up and travel in small groups. Have them go up the river to Zora's Domain. If we're not there, we'll leave someone to tell you where we went." Zelda said, deciding that the domain would be the safest place. It was completely self sufficient and self governed. Marcus would likely not have bothered the Zoras yet, having been in power for only two weeks.

"It will be done, your majesty." Lieutenant Allen said, bowing ever so slightly.

"Good. Return as quickly as possible, but maintain safety. Do _not _let your men get captured." Zelda said. "In the meantime, send messengers regularly to update me with your progress. If we hope to form any kind of resistance, we cannot allow ourselves to be out of touch. Communication is key."

"Yes, your majesty." Allen said, nodding.

"Good. Carry on, and please make it back safely." Zelda finished. "I look forward to working with you."

Lieutenant Allen stared at Zelda for a moment, as if in disbelief of everything that had just happened.

"I'm sorry, your majesty, but could I see your face? For all I know, some random woman could have just had me send my men into a death trap."

Zelda nodded and pulled down her hood.

"You impress me, Lieutenant." She said. "I'm glad you thought about such things."

"I would never pass up a chance to look upon your beauty." Allen replied. Zelda merely smiled, glancing over at Link as she did so. He scowled slightly, but otherwise remained stoic.

"Carry on." Zelda said, lifting her hood up again. Link and Shad remounted, and they set off to the west again.

After a few minutes, Zelda looked over to Link. He was still scowling.

"You're going to hurt yourself if you keep making that face." She said, getting his attention. "What's going on?"

"I don't like him." Link replied immediately. "He should be letting one of the older enlisted soldiers handle this move. Not to mention the fact that he's a belligerent asshole."

"He's just stressed out." Zelda replied. "Moving that many people across the countryside would naturally make him a little on edge. Cut him some slack."

"If he can't keep his temper in check, he has no place as an officer." Link said. "And besides, was the boot kissing at the end really necessary?"

"What?" Zelda asked, smiling innocently. "When he called me pretty? I don't know about other girls, but I rather like it when a man thinks I'm pretty."

"Yeah, but…" Link stopped momentarily before finding his words. "You're the princess."

"I'm still a woman."

"It just seemed unnecessary."

Zelda peeked over at Link from the corner of her eye. This kind of behavior was completely unlike him. He should have been reveling in the fact that he now had a small fighting force at his back. Instead, he was pouting about how the commanding officer had thought she was pretty.

_No way… _She thought, and then urged her horse in front of Epona, effectively stopping her.

"Are you jealous?" Zelda asked, a goofy grin showing underneath her hood.

"What?" Link nearly jumped out of his saddle. "No! I mean…No! What does that even mean? What would I be jealous of? I'm not a sixteen year old boy."

"You know exactly what that means, big boy." Zelda teased. "You're jealous because he had the guts to say that. You just won't admit it."

"That's…" Link paused momentarily. "This conversation is over."

"You know, women like it when you tell them they're pretty. Especially when you tell them they're _beautiful_ like Lieutenant Allen just did." Zelda said, smiling as she turned her horse around and rode forward. "You should try it sometime. You might get somewhere."

Link didn't reply, so Zelda turned around to look at him. The entire visible portion of his face was dark red, causing her to laugh.

"I'm just messing around with you, Link." She said. "Chill out."

Link was silent for the rest of the day, completely ignoring the passing soldiers and anything the other two said about him. He held it all the way until the trio was setting up their tents to camp for the night. Shad had left recently to get more firewood, and the camp was almost ready for the night.

As Link finished his tent and threw a new stack of wood on the fire, he walked over to Zelda's spot. She was finishing putting the last peg into a corner, and looked up at him curiously.

"Just for the record." He said. "You _did_ look beautiful today."

With that, he turned on his heel and nearly ran back to his tent. Zelda stared after him, utterly confused and yet unable to wipe the giddy smile off of her face.

**BREAK**

They reached the outskirts of Ordon early the next day. The pumpkin fields were beginning to show progress, and the humidity in the air hinted at heavy rain in the next few days. The fields were empty, which was normal. Pumpkins didn't require much tending. Furthermore, the further out they were planted, the less care they got.

"I bet it feels good to be back." Shad commented to Link as they rode by a particularly developed field of the giant Ordon pumpkins.

"Not particularly." Link replied. "The farming life was never for me. I honestly think I'd be a better scholar than a farmer. And I hate school, so that's saying something."

"Interesting." Shad mused. "I loved school. I never saw why anyone wouldn't. The work-"

"Of the mind is highly undervalued in Hyrule." Zelda completed his sentence, having heard it many times before. "We know. I don't know why you insist on telling me that every other day like I don't understand. I spent nineteen years of my life studying magic."

"I'm just saying. Once this is all over, you should really try to make schooling more available to children and, if you're feeling generous, adults." Shad said.

"Hey, do you two see that?" Link asked, pointing to the west.

Zelda and Shad peered off into the distance, at first seeing nothing. As they stared, however, they began to notice a small plume of smoke rising high into the sky. It was coming from the direction of Ordon.

"Do you think they're in trouble?" Shad asked.

Link stared at the smoke for a while longer. "They're probably just burning trash or something. They do that every Wednesday."

"It's Saturday." Zelda said.

"Dear goddesses." Link muttered. He kicked Epona into a gallop, leaving Zelda and Shad hopelessly far behind as they fought their horses into running faster. Epona was one of the fastest horses in Hyrule, and would never quit running until she dropped if Link asked her to. The other two horses would never stand a chance trying to catch up.

As Link raced through Ordon's fields, the plume of smoke got progressively larger and darker. Whatever was burning was doing so slowly, but had a great deal of fuel.

_Like a house. _Link thought to himself, trying not to panic. If a house was burning down in the middle of the day, the villagers would be taking care of it faster than a herd of escaped goats. That fact made it no less concerning, though.

Ten minutes at a fast gallop brought Link to the goat field. The sight shocked him. In the middle of the day, Fado should have been outside tending to the herd. He was nowhere to be seen, and the goats were gone. The smoke could be seen right on the other side of the hill, so Link decided to investigate the goat problem later. Fado was likely helping to put out whatever fire had started, and the goats had more than likely been left in the barn for whatever reason.

Epona leaped the gate and barreled down the trail, as if she sensed the urgency of the situation. She bounded into the main body of Ordon, and Link's heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

Bo's house was up in flames, and not a single villager could be seen. The only people there were three men in black and blue armor, standing in front of the burning house and smoking cigars. They turned at the sound of Link's approach.

"What the hell is going on?" Link called, leaping off of Epona's back when he had gotten near. "Who are you?"

The three men just laughed. One handed his cigar to the one on his right and picked up a crossbow.

"You've got some muscle." He said. "I bet you'll sell for a high price. Just stand still."

"What the-" Link started, but leaped towards his horse. The crossbow bolt whizzed by his leg and buried itself in the dirt.

"I told you to stand still." The crossbowman yelled, quickly loading another bolt. The other two soldiers drew their swords.

Link ripped his shield from Epona's saddle and slapped her rear, causing her to gallop to a safe distance. He brought his shield up just in time for the second bolt to glance off the metal.

"This boy's a fighter." One of the soldiers said, grinning manically. "I'm glad someone finally made it interesting for us.

Link charged the men, swinging his sword at the crossbow. His blow missed as the soldier jumped back, and one of the swordsmen blocked his sword. The other tried to cleave Link's head in two, but was stopped by a quick raise of his shield.

"You asked for it." The one on Link's right said. He swung his sword around and tried for a midsection blow, which was easily deflected. Link smashed his shoulder into the man's chest, knocking him down and momentarily taking him out of the battle.

The other soldier tried to stab Link's arm as he was distracted with his comrade, but was met with another lightning fast shield block. Link pivoted and drove his foot into the soldier's shin.

"Gah!" The swordsman cried, leaping back. Link charged him again, not wanting to give up his momentary advantage or leave room for the crossbowman to get a beat on him. He swung around in what looked to the other man like a power blow, but feinted and drove his sword in a massive uppercut. The soldier was only a fraction of a second too late trying to block. The Master Sword ripped clean through his armor and hacked into his ribs effortlessly. The soldier was dead before he hit the ground.

Link wheeled around and brought his sword up to deflect an overhead cleave from the soldier he had knocked down moments before. A crossbow bolt flew by his face, and he rolled around to the soldier's left in an attempt to put the swordsman in between himself and the archer.

"You killed him!" The soldier screamed, swinging his sword in massive, easily avoidable strokes. Link reached around and grabbed his wrist. A simple twist brought the man's sword arm behind his back and rendered him completely helpless. Link hid behind his human shield, dropped his sword, and put his dagger at the soldier's throat.

"Drop that crossbow or I'll cut his throat." He said to the crossbowman. The man stared at his struggling comrade for a few moments, and then dropped the crossbow to the ground.

"Kick it over here." Link said. The soldier did as he was told.

"Now ditch you sword and the five daggers you have in your pants, boots, and chest plate."

The crossbowman uttered a curse and tossed his blades to the side. The one Link had captured had begun to cry and sweat profusely.

"Please don't kill me." He sobbed. A quick glance down told Link that the soldier had defecated himself, as well. He smashed the hilt of his dagger into his head, effectively knocking him unconscious.

"Why the hell is the mayor's house burning?" Link demanded of the remaining soldier.

"We're mercenaries." The soldier replied, shrugging. "We do what we're told for money. This is what we were told to do."

"Where are the rest of the villagers?" Link asked.

"Two are in that house right now, and the rest are on wagons headed towards Castle Town."

"There's two of them in that house right now?!" Link screamed. He picked up his sword and rushed towards the mercenary, smashing the flat of the blade into his head. The blow knocked him out cold.

Link threw his weapons and shield aside, and then removed his cloak. Bo's house was already a total loss. The entire second story was on fire, and the flames were slowly spreading down to the first. He ran up to the front door and felt it carefully. It was warm, but the metal knob wasn't scorching hot. The fire hadn't spread far enough to block his entrance.

He took deep breaths for a few seconds before kicking in the front door. The living room was a complete mess. It was obvious even through the smoke and spreading flames that there had been a fight.

In the middle of the room, two hooded figures were tied to chairs, which were in turn bound to iron pegs that had been nailed in the floor. One was clearly Bo, based on the body size. The other looked like Rusl, although Link couldn't be sure through the smoke.

He ran up to the pair and, using his dagger, severed the ropes binding the chairs to the ground. The ropes holding each of them to the chairs were too abundant to easily cut, though. Instead, Link kicked out the legs of Rusl's chair and dragged him towards the door. Once outside, he shattered the chair with a swift kick and rolled Rusl's unconscious form into the grass.

As Link turned to run back into the house and do the same for Bo, he heard a crashing sound. As he watched, a part of the roof caved in and collapsed onto the first floor.

"Bo!" He shouted, sprinting back into the front door. The left side of the living room was now completely covered in burning timber, including many of Ilia's possessions that were falling through the gaping hole in the ceiling. Bo's chair had been knocked over, and was now beginning to catch fire. Link ran over to him and kicked the chair, effectively splintering it in half. The ropes wrapped around the mayor had begun to catch fire, so Link sawed away at them, knowing that any cuts he gave Bo in the process would be inconsequential at this point. Cuts would heal. Third degree burns would not.

When all of the ropes had been cut, and Bo was free, Link grabbed him by the arms and began dragging him from the house.

_Why is he so heavy?_ He thought, his fear growing as he tired quickly. Bo had always been a large man, but had never needed to be carried by anyone. It was doubtful that anyone else in Ordon could have done it. The mayor easily weighed three hundred pounds.

The door seemed enormously far away, and Link was beginning to feel lightheaded as he inched the mayor along the floor. The smoke was going to suffocate him before he made it.

Link cursed and ducked close to the ground, hoping to find some oxygen. The air was unbelievably hot, and the temperature was climbing by the minute. It made his muscles weak, despite the adrenaline coursing through him.

"No." He muttered, pushing himself harder. He would not die like this. He was too young. After fighting through hordes of monsters and killing both Zant and Ganondorf, Link was not going to allow a burning house to kill him. Though his lungs screamed in agony, he pulled harder.

One look up told him that the door wasn't getting any closer. He could barely keep his eyes open in the heat. The back part of the room caved in with a crash, crushing the ground where Rusl and Bo had been tied.

Link shook his head and pulled as hard as he could. The action did nothing. His muscles simply wouldn't respond. He knew that he didn't have time to run outside and get air. The roof would collapse on Bo if he did that.

_I'm not leaving you to die alone, Bo. _He thought. Bo had raised him, and deserved better than to be left here because Link feared for his own life. And so, with that thought in mind, he pulled with renewed strength. The mayor slid a few inches forward with each heave, but Link still knew that he could never make it to the door. He pulled his tunic up to cover his mouth and nose, but it made no difference as he continued to become increasingly more lightheaded.

A familiar voice registered in the back of his mind as he continued his futile effort to pull Bo to safety.

_Link! _It called.

He ignored it, wanting to focus on only the task at hand.

_Link! _It belonged to someone he knew, but he couldn't quite place it. It was a comforting voice. One he liked to hear normally. It was laced with fear, though. Fear and desperation.

_Is this what death is like? _He thought. The world was swimming around him, and he couldn't focus his eyes on anything.

"Link!"

With a start, he realized that the voice was not in his head, but right behind him. He turned to see Zelda run up beside him and take one of Bo's arms. She had ditched her cloak and weapons, leaving just the basics so that she could move faster.

"Come on!" She yelled over the crackling of the flames. "We have to get out of here."

The sight of Zelda gave Link one last burst of energy. With two people dragging the mayor across the floor, the long trip to the front door took only a few seconds. They pulled Bo all the way out to where the unconscious mercenaries were still lying.

When Bo was at a safe distance, Link dropped to his knees and put his hands over his face, breathing deeply to get the smoke out of his system. He was puzzled as he saw Shad and Zelda riding over the end of the trail towards him, but he didn't give it a great deal of thought, deciding instead that it was the smoke messing with his mind.

A few moments passed before Link realized that he was going to pass out. He laid down carefully, allowing himself to rest while his vision slowly tunneled and went black.

**BREAK**

It took several hours for Link to wake up, by which time Zelda and Shad had moved everyone into his tree house. The mercenaries had been bound tightly, and left near the fireplace to swelter. Zelda had shown no mercy as they begged for water.

Shad had gone out to explore Ordon, while Zelda was tending to Link. He was sitting at the kitchen table sipping on a cup of coffee while the mercenaries complained about their situation.

"Seriously, man." The crossbowman said. "We've been sitting by this fire for hours now. Can't we just have some water? It's not that much to ask. Or you could just move us across the room. We're mercenaries, not dedicated soldiers. We only did that because that's what we were paid to do."

Link glanced over at him in annoyance. "What's your name?"

"Clyde." The crossbowman replied.

"And yours?" Link asked the swordsman.

"Chuck."

"All right, that's good." Link said. "Chuck, if Clyde keeps talking, I'm going to go get my dagger and cut your testicles off. And if you talk, I'm going to cut Clyde's testicles off. Does that sound like a deal to you?"

Both of the mercenaries gulped and stared at him with big eyes. Wisely, neither of them said a word.

"I'm glad we understand each other. And if one of you even looks in Zelda's direction again I'm going to remove everything from _both _of you."

Link turned around to Zelda, where she was giving him an amused smile.

"You're harsh." She said. "What are you going to do?"

"Play some games." Link replied. Zelda nodded and walked out the front door without questioning anything. She assumed that Link knew what he was doing, and had a plan.

Once the door shut, Link turned back around to the two mercenaries.

"Let me be clear." He started. "I'm not a very nice guy when it comes to people trying to kill me. I'm also not a very nice guy when it comes to people trying to burn my friends alive inside a house. You gentlemen have done both of those things, as well as taken away the people I grew up with. Now, you're my prisoners, and I can pretty much do whatever I want."

"So here's what's going to happen. I'm going to ask you questions. Every time one of you answers the question, your companion will be allowed to move slightly further from the fire and to take a sip of water. If you don't answer even one of the questions to the best of your ability, I'm going to get my dagger out and carve your companion up. It's all about camaraderie right now. You help each other out."

Both of them nodded nervously.

"All right. We'll start with you, Clyde, since you tried to kill me first. Did Marcus Brutus hire you?"

Clyde nodded furiously, but didn't say a word.

"Good boy." Link said, walking over and moving Chuck a few inches away from the fire. He put his cup of coffee up to his mouth and tilted it, allowing a few sips to go into the swordsman's mouth.

"Now it's your turn, Chuck." Link said, sitting down in front of the pair. "Why did he have you attack Ordon?"

"We don't know." Chuck replied. "Like Clyde said earlier, we're only mercenaries. We're told what to do, paid the money, and sent on our way. It's not in our business to ask questions about it."

Link scowled, but saw that the swordsman was being truthful. "I don't really like that answer, so Clyde doesn't get to move."

Clyde cursed quietly, but Link continued on anyways.

"Did you kill any of the villagers?" He asked Clyde.

"No. We came in last night and took them from their homes. That big one and the other guy in the house fought us the whole way, and managed to get a sword. We captured them and put them in that house about thirty minutes before you showed up, and the rest of the mercenaries left. We were going to meet up with them after we burnt the house down and looted the others."

"Good answer, but don't try to change the topic away from the villagers." Link said, pulling Chuck a few more inches away from the fire and giving him more coffee.

"What were the villagers captured for?" He asked the swordsman once he had finished drinking.

"Slavery, as far as I can tell." Chuck said. "It was legalized a few days ago, according the what we heard. Your dictator decided that the pumpkins the villagers grow here were no longer necessary for the kingdom, and that more of a profit could be made if the Ordonians were captured and sold."

Link cursed inwardly, but moved Clyde further away from the fire and let him finish the cup of coffee. As he went to the kitchen and filled a cup of water, he continued asking questions.

"Clyde, are they actually headed to Castle Town?"

"Probably for a little while, but I doubt your citizens will find slavery appealing. They probably won't buy any of them, or if they do it will be simply for the purpose of letting them go. Any who aren't sold will likely be sold to the Blackhawks and taken west for resale."

"The Blackhawks?" Link asked?

"Our mercenary clan." Clyde answered. "We wear black and blue armor with the symbol of a hawk painted in black on the left shoulder."

As Link moved Chuck further from the fire, he noticed a long gash on Clyde's leg.

"Where did you get that cut?" He asked. "I didn't touch you there, so it must be from something else."

"It was some kid." Clyde answered. "When we captured those two men, he came charging out of the house down at the other end of the village with a sword and killed two of us. I tackled him and we sent him away. That's how I got this. I guess we missed him during the initial sweep of the village."

"Is he with the rest of the villagers?" Link asked.

"No. My commanding officer told us to keep him. He was put into a separate wagon and taken immediately. That was right before you got here. Most of the group went with him."

"Colin…" Link muttered. He was proud of the boy for standing up for himself and the rest of the village, but wished that he had just hidden in his house and stayed safe.

"Do either of you have any more information that might be of use to me?" He asked after a few moments. "The more you tell me, the higher chances of me letting you live when I leave."

"Our commanding officer left with that boy you just called Colin." Chuck said immediately. "I overheard him say that they're going to impress him and train him as a Blackhawk because of his skill with a sword."

"We have a forward operating base in Hyrule Field east of Castle Town. It's that smaller field west of the lake." Clyde added.

Link nodded and dragged both soldiers well away from the fire.

"Is that all?" He asked.

"That's all I've got." Chuck said, with Clyde nodding in agreement. "We're both just grunts. We don't get told anything."

"All right." Link said, and then turned and walked out the front door. Shad and Zelda were waiting expectantly.

"What are we going to do with them?" He asked. "I don't want to kill them, because they're unarmed, helpless, and they willingly gave me information. But we can't let them go, either."

Zelda thought for a moment before answering. "I heard most everything that was going on. They're mercenaries from the west, so why don't we point them west and swear that we'll kill them if we ever see them in Hyrule again?"

"Sounds like a plan." Link said. "How are Bo and Rusl doing?"

"Rusl is awake, but his eyes are swollen so badly that he can't open them." Shad said. "Bo is still asleep, but breathing. His pulse is strong, too. He should be all right. It looks like his ropes were cut off in a hurry, because he has a few deep cuts. Someone broke his nose, too."

"That's fine. I need to go talk to Rusl about his son. Where is he?" Link asked.

"We took him to his house." Zelda said.

"That's good." Link said. "Shad, can you stay here and make sure those two don't try anything?"

Shad nodded, and Link set off down the trail to Ordon with Zelda close behind.

When they had gone down the hill, Link stopped and turned to the princess.

"Thank you for helping me in Bo's house." He said. "I…thought I was going to die. The smoke almost had me."

Zelda gave him a confused stare. "What are you talking about?"

"When I was pulling Bo out of his house. You ran in and helped me do that, didn't you?" Link asked. "I heard you yell my name a few times, and then you were there. I was just about to pass out from smoke inhalation when you showed up and started pulling him out with some superhuman strength."

"By the time Shad and I showed up, you had Bo and Rusl out in the yard." Zelda said. "You were unconscious, and covered in soot. Bo looked like he had been dragged across the soot in the house, because there was a trail of it all the way out to where he was lying. But I definitely didn't go in there."

"But how…" Link started, but stopped.

_The dream. _

Before he had left Ordon for Astari, he had had a dream in which Zelda appeared to him and pulled him from a nightmare in which Midna was killed.

_I will be with you even when you feel the most alone. _She had said.

_Maybe that wasn't Zelda. _Link thought to himself. _Maybe it just looked like Zelda in the dream. But who was that?_

"Never mind." He said, turning around and going down the path again.

"Hold on." Zelda said, stopping him. "You can't leave me hanging like that. Were you hallucinating or something?"

"Probably." Link replied, but told her about the dream anyways. He wanted her opinion on it. Afterwards, Zelda gave him a thoughtful look.

"It sounds stupid." He said, shrugging. "I just thought that if it wasn't you, and I had that dream, then there must be some connection. Because that definitely looked like you coming in the house."

"No, it actually sounds extremely intriguing." Zelda said. "And I can tell you with certainty that I didn't use magic to enter your dreams, although I'm capable of doing so. I think it's a violation of privacy, so I would have asked if I wanted to do that. I don't know exactly what to think about this, though. If it happens again, maybe we can find some answers."

Link nodded as they continued down the path to Rusl's house. The whole situation made him feel strange. He hadn't thought much of the dream, although it had definitely been different than a regular one. It was more like a crystal clear memory.

"I could…well, this is a longshot." Zelda said, still debating her idea. "If you have another one of those dreams and we find a pattern, I could enter your dreams if we thought that you were going to have another like it. As far as I've been taught with dream bonding, two of the same person can't be in one dream. In theory, whoever is in your head will be exposed."

"Maybe." Link replied, stepping up to Rusl's door. "We'll figure that out later. Right now, we need to focus on Rusl and getting Colin back. We can't let them try to make him a mercenary."

Zelda nodded and they entered the small house. It was only one room, but seemed eerily empty without Uli. Rusl was lying on the bed just as Zelda had described. His face had obviously been beaten repeatedly. Later, he would likely call the scars war wounds. He was always proud of his injuries.

"Who is that?" He asked, making a futile attempt to see who had just come in his house.

"Link and Zelda." Link replied.

"Oh goddesses." Rusl exclaimed, sitting up in his bed. "The princess is in my house?!"

"I didn't tell him who I was last time I was here." Zelda said quietly, and Link grimaced at his own carelessness.

"Just relax, Rusl." He said, putting his hand on the older man's shoulder. "She's with me."

"Yes, you have a knack for traveling with attractive women, don't you?" Rusl joked, smiling at his wit. Zelda blushed slightly, but not nearly as much as Link did.

"Look, Rusl. We have to talk. This isn't a time to be joking around." Link said seriously. "Everyone in the village was captured save for you and Bo. They're being taken to Castle Town to be sold into slavery. If they're not sold there, they'll be taken to the west and disappear."

Rusl opened his mouth to speak, but Link stopped him.

"Uli and your Fiona were taken to Castle Town, but Colin is headed in a different direction. He ran out of your house and killed two mercenaries, then injured another before they finally took him down. The commanding officer was impressed, and is taking him somewhere different because of his skill. The mercenaries I captured didn't know where, but I suspect that he's going to the forward operating base east of Castle Town."

Rusl sat up again and opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't seem to find the words.

"We're going to get them all back." Link said. "I promise. When we do, and when you're feeling better, Zelda and I will be in Zora's Domain forming a resistance to fight Councilor Brutus. Please join us if you can."

Rusl grasped Link's wrist and held it tightly for a few moments before letting go.

"Please bring them all home."

"I will." Link replied, and patted Rusl's shoulder. "We need to go if we're going to get Colin back."

"Go. Make sure my son is safe." Rusl said.

Link and Zelda walked out of the door and back into the village, both feeling anxious. Every second they delayed, Colin got further away. It was a full two days' ride to the place the mercenaries had described, and another half day with a carriage. If Colin were headed towards the base, they could easily catch up. If he weren't, they would be completely out of luck.

"I think we should leave Shad here." Zelda said on the way back. "Bo and Rusl need to be taken care of, and we move faster when it's just us."

Link nodded in agreement, having noticed that the scholar seemed to complain relentlessly about riding in a saddle. If they got into a fight with anyone, Shad would likely be killed. He was better as an off-the-field asset, and Ordon was the safest place for him until a resistance could actually be formed.

"Good point." He said. "Now let's go get Colin."

**Please review! Pretty please with a cherry on top? **

**REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to all my reviewers from the last chapter! **

**Yes, yes I know it took me three times as long to get this chapter out. It was a pain to write, and it didn't really flow for me until the end. Leave me a review and tell me what you think.**

Chapter 8

Chuck and Clyde readily agreed to head west and never return to Hyrule rather than lose their lives. Link and Zelda dropped them off at the exit from Faron woods, reminding them that their lives would be forfeit the second they were seen in Hyrule again.

Shad hadn't taken his piece of news well, but understood that it was for the best. He would only be getting in the way during combat. Instead of complaining, he had made a commitment to study battle tactics during his time cooped up in Ordon.

"Look over there." Link said to Zelda as they crested a large hill. Before them was a massive expanse of Hyrule Field, with Castle Town visible a few miles to the north. One mile ahead of them, a large force of soldiers could be seen riding towards Faron. As with the previous group of soldiers, there was a large caravan of families in the center of the cavalry.

"Do you think they're coming for us?" Zelda asked, pulling up her hood for security.

"I doubt it." Link replied, doing the same. "See all the men in the front? They've got buckets of paint. Some of them are covering the crest of Hyrule on their armor."

"So they're deserters?" Zelda asked.

"Maybe, but you can never be too sure." Link said. "If they are, they would be a great addition to our measly force of dissenting soldiers. Cavalry is always good to have."

"Let's find their officer, then." Zelda replied.

Link nodded as they set off at a lope. It was obvious by the markings in the trail that a wagon had been through within the last few hours, along with a few horses. The first group of soldiers passed by within the next few minutes, although they avoided eye contact.

_They're definitely on the run. _Link thought to himself.

As the second group of soldiers passed, a horn sounded from Castle Town. Immediately, they spurred their horses into a gallop and bounded off. Many of them were cursing loudly, while others simply looked terrified.

"What's going on?" Zelda asked, but stopped as the gates to Castle Town burst open, admitting a large mass of black and blue armor mounted on black horses.

"Looks like Marcus doesn't want his soldiers deserting." Link said casually, glancing at the Hylian soldiers as they flew towards Faron. "But they're a little too late."

"They're mercenaries. What did you expect?" Zelda asked. Link shrugged in response. The Hylian soldiers would be long gone before the mercenaries reached the stragglers, unless they were fueled by some unknown magic.

"I wonder if…" Link muttered to himself, looking across the plain. The commanding officer of the Hylian forces was easily spotted. He was ahead of what looked like a large group of civilian wagons, wearing traditional silver armor. Although it wasn't clear from a distance, it looked as if he were a colonel.

"What?" Zelda asked curiously.

"I'm going to catch their officer. Colin will still be there when we finish with this." Link said. "Run back and hide in the tree line."

"I'll just go with you." Zelda offered.

"Please get back to safety." Link said, making it clear that she wasn't going to go with him. Though it got on her nerves, Zelda turned her horse around and barreled towards Faron Woods without another word. She knew that Link was simply looking out for her, regardless of how overbearing he was being.

"Hail!" Link yelled as he neared the colonel. He turned Epona on a dime and rode up next to the fleeing officer. Now that he was closer, he could see that his initial assumption about the soldier's rank had been correct. He wore a silver eagle on his collar, symbolizing his rank as a colonel.

"Link?" The colonel asked incredulously, waving off his guards' raised spears. He turned back to check on the progress of the mercenaries and, seeming satisfied, slowed his horse down slightly.

"Yes." Link replied. "Listen, please. We don't have time for formalities. Get your men into Faron Woods and then turn them around. Zelda and I are forming a resistance in Zora's Domain, and we can't do this alone. We already have the help of the 507th infantry, and it looks like your men would triple our forces, as well as provide us with an officer of rank and experience."

The colonel's face was set in a hard line as he tried to process the rapid acquisition of information. After a few seconds, he nodded.

"Get the families to safety." Link said. "Make sure that Marcus can't touch them. What's your name?"

"It's Livingston." The colonel replied. Link nodded and moved to turn Epona around, but was stopped as Livingston reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Thank you, Link." He said. "You're braver than any of us were when that bastard took over. All hail Queen Zelda."

In an even stranger act than calling Zelda the queen, Colonel Livingston snapped a salute. Link opened his mouth to argue against being saluted, but thought better of it and returned the sign of respect.

"Good luck, Colonel." Link said, dropping his hand back to the reigns.

"Good luck, Link. Give 'em hell." Livingston replied, and spurred his horse into a gallop.

Link turned and looked back towards the approaching mercenaries. They were far behind the back end of the deserting soldiers, which were just about to pass him. It would be another ten minutes before the mercenaries caught up to his point, and by then all of the Hylian soldiers would be well into the cover of the forest.

And so Link waited, pulling his hood up to shroud the upper half of his face while the mercenaries bore down on his position. As they moved, Link could see three separate men issuing commands, although he couldn't tell if there was one commanding officer issuing commands to those three. It seemed that officers in this force wore flat black armor with a white hawk painted on the shoulders, rather than sporting the blue streaks and black hawk.

_Stupid. _Link thought to himself, pulling his bow from Epona's saddle. Although Hylian officers wore silver armor for dress, they wore the same armor as enlisted soldiers during battle. Doing so helped prevent enemy archers from spotting and assassinating officers.

The mercenaries seemed to have taken notice of him, and formed into a semi-circle at the officers' commands. As they drew nearer, a different officer moved to the front, riding in the center of his men so that the semicircle surrounded him. This one had the same flat black armor as the other officers, but had a hawk painted in red on his chest. He was barking orders over his shoulders, which were being echoed by the white-hawk officers.

_There you are. _Link thought. He fingered an arrow in his quiver, but let his hand rest until the group got closer. These men either expected nothing, or were very stupid. Most likely it was the former, seeing as how their commanding officer was riding in front of the group to interrogate him when he was surrounded.

Epona snorted, but calmed as Link rubbed her neck.

"Easy, girl." He muttered. "Save that for a few minutes. You're about to have to run like the wind."

The mercenaries held their formation, covering the distance to Link quickly. When they were less than two hundred yards away, he lifted his bow from behind Epona's back and knocked an arrow.

The commander, busy screaming orders behind himself, was completely oblivious as to why his men reigned in their horses and turned around.

"What the hell are you lazy pieces of shit doing?!" He screamed, slapping his horse's rear with the flat of his sword. "It's one god-"

Link's arrow ripped through his helmet like it wasn't even there, proceeding to tear out the side of his face. The commander was dead before he could even finish his profanity. His horse bucked at the sudden shift in weight, sending his dead body flopping to the ground like a fish.

For a brief moment, everything went silent as the mercenaries stared in disbelief at their dead commander.

Link, on the other hand, didn't pause. He let loose another arrow, which missed one of the white hawk officers and buried itself in one of the enlisted soldiers behind him.

"Get him!" The stunned officer yelled. With a ferocious battle cry, the mercenaries spurred their horses and charged.

"Run, Epona. Show me the meaning of haste." Link said. Epona reacted immediately, pivoting and bolting towards Faron at a speed Link had never known possible.

"Ha!" He yelled, urging her even faster. A few arrows could be heard whizzing around, although none had landed close enough for discomfort. The thundering of hooves sounded from behind, but the mercenaries would never catch up to Link before he reached the woods. From there, he could outmaneuver them with ease. That was if they were stupid enough to ride into the woods.

_Turn a little more to the left. _

Link nearly jumped as Zelda's voice rang through his mind, but nudged Epona slightly to the left.

_Zelda? _He thought. _How are you…-_

_Just keep riding. I'm in the tree line directly in front of you. I don't think the mercenaries will follow you into Faron Woods, so we can cut around to the east and go north until we meet up with that wagon trail again._

_What-_

_I told you to just keep riding. Haven't you learned to do what women say? It makes your life easier._

Link shook his head and glanced back. The mercenaries were already slowing down, realizing that they were unable to catch up before the trees. A few rode on in spite of that, but were doomed to failure. Epona was simply too fast.

Link barreled into the trees at a breakneck pace, having to forcibly tug Epona's reigns to get her to slow down. As she ground to a halt, he came nearly face to face with Zelda in a small clearing. She had a deathly serious look on her face.

"How did you do that?" Link asked immediately. "You couldn't even see me. And since when have you been able to communicate with me through your thoughts?"

Zelda's face lost the serious edge, giving way to curiosity.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"You just told me to turn left through my mind." Link said. "How did you do that?"

"I didn't do that." Zelda replied. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Link said. "You're not kidding? That wasn't you?"

"What did…I…say?"

"You just told me to turn a little to the left, that you were waiting for me and the mercenaries wouldn't follow me. Then you berated me for not listening to women." Link said.

"No, I certainly didn't say any of that." Zelda said.

"Then-"

Link was interrupted by the thundering of hooves, and he was forced to drive Epona out of the way of a mercenary as he raced into the clearing.

"You!" He shouted, pointing at Link with his sword, but stopped as he caught sight of Zelda. "You…"

Zelda wasted no time, kicking her horse with her foot and drawing her sword at the same time. The stallion sidestepped towards the mercenary, and Zelda used the momentum to drive her blade through the armor and into the soldier's chest. His breath came out in a twisted gasp, and the life faded from his eyes before he even fell from his horse. Zelda pulled her sword out as he fell.

"On that note." She said, her face returning to its former serious state. "It's time for you to stop babying me. If you want to form a resistance, I need to help. I certainly can't help by hiding in the trees and waiting for you to be a knight in shining armor. One day, you're going to get yourself into some kind of trouble that you can't get out of on your own."

"Hold on." Link said, surprised by the outburst. "You realize that you're the princess, right? I'm not going to let you go-"

"No." Zelda interrupted, uninterested in hearing any argument. "It wasn't my voice in your head, but it was right about women. You're going to listen to me. I'm not a goddamn dandelion, and I shouldn't be treated like one. I can hold myself together in a fight, shown by this guy drowning in a puddle of his own blood right here. I also managed to protect myself from that crazy Celt a couple weeks ago. You don't need to baby me. I know how to use a sword."

"I'm not babying you." Link protested. "I'm protecting you from danger. I-"

"Stop." Zelda said. "No more. Next time we go into battle, no matter what it is, you're taking me. I won't sit on the sideline anymore because of the danger of what we're doing."

Link, realizing that argument was getting him nowhere, leaned back and looked at the sky.

"Fine." He said, his face set in a grim expression. "You'll get your wish. But I swear that I'll die before I see you injured. I don't care if I have to step in front of a blade for you, I'll do it. You can't stop me."

"You won't have to." Zelda replied. "I can hold my own during battle."

Link scowled at the princess. "You're going to be the death of me. The next time we see combat, you can join me. Maybe you'll see why I've been protecting you from it."

"Whatever." Zelda growled. "Let's go."

**BREAK**

The wagon was visible ahead on the trail, almost exactly where Link had predicted. It was obviously heading towards the forward operating base. The wagon itself was a prison wagon, built of steel and pulled by six horses. It would be impossible to break open conventionally. There were fifteen guards surrounding it, although only three were on horseback.

"Please use common sense." Link tried desperately. "Getting two lucky kills doesn't make you a soldier. You'll simply be hurt or killed if you charge into this."

"No I won't!" Zelda snapped. They had been arguing for nearly three hours as they crossed Hyrule Field. She had been unwilling to relent, and Link had been unshakable in wanting her to stay away from the upcoming fight.

"I can handle this on my own." He said, exasperated. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"And I don't want anything to happen to you." Zelda replied. "So I'm going with you."

"I've gone for nearly four years without needing help in a fight." Link said, trailing off.

"Not true." Zelda said coldly. "I remember you having to have help all the way through your adventure last time, up to and including the final battle. A final battle that I was a part of, I might add. You didn't seem to have any qualms about it then."

Link sighed and shook his head. "We had one enemy that time. I could easily step in front of Ganondorf and protect you. It's different when you're facing a large group like this. Stay close to me so we can work together. When the heat of battle kicks in, don't lose your head. And especially don't forget that I think this is a bad idea."

"If you had your way, I would hide in a cabin in the middle of nowhere until the danger was gone." Zelda said.

"Now that you mention it, that might be a solid plan." Link muttered, pulling the hood up on his cloak. "Try not to show your face. That mercenary you killed back there knew both of us on sight, so we can safely assume that these will, too. If they identify us, we have to kill them all so that Marcus doesn't know what we're doing."

Zelda nodded as they neared the tree line. The trail led right by the trees, providing perfect cover for an ambush. As the wagon drew near, Link dismounted, readied his bow, and waved Epona away. Zelda followed suit and readied an arrow.

"Last chance." Link whispered, drawing his bow back. The wagon was about to pass. "Please get back to safety. I don't have a good feeling about this."

"No." Zelda replied. Link sighed, but didn't ask again.

"Aim for the officer on the left." He said, pointing at one of the mounted soldiers. "I'll get the other two. After that, take down as many of the foot soldiers as possible before they realize where we are. When that happens, they'll charge us. Drop your bow, draw your sword, and then come up beside me. We'll fight back-to-back if they can't surround us."

"On my mark." He said.

As the wagon came even closer, Zelda could feel her nerves rising. Her hands were shaking slightly as she lifted her bow and drew the arrow back. The air around her seemed stifling, and her lungs couldn't take in enough oxygen.

_He makes this look so easy. _She thought, glancing over at Link. He didn't even look slightly nervous. _Maybe I shouldn't be doing this._

_No. _She told herself defiantly. _I have to do this. I'm tired of sitting back and doing nothing._

Link drew his arrow back fully, so Zelda followed suit. She had spent most of her life practicing archery, as it was considered the royal sport. Every member of the royal family was required to master it to the point that they could hit the bulls eye on a target over a hundred yards away consistently. Despite that, Zelda's target seemed as if he would be impossible to hit.

Her breathing got heavier as the wagon closed the remaining feet and passed in front of them on the trail. Briefly, she wondered why she hadn't been this nervous when fighting the Celt weeks before, but attributed it only to being shocked and terrified at the time.

_When is Link going to shoot? _She wondered, wishing that he would get it over with. Her hands were shaking even harder, throwing her aim off. She didn't know if she could hit the officer, who had a red hawk painted on his shoulder. The wagon passed, as well as the soldiers surrounding it. They continued down the road, oblivious to the danger lurking behind them.

_Come on, Link. _Zelda thought. The weight of the bow's draw was beginning to wear down her arms, along with her nerves going haywire. If the soldiers went too much farther away, she wouldn't be able to shoot straight enough to hit the carriage, much less the armored officer.

"Fire." Link said finally. He released his arrow, drawing another from his quiver quickly. The first slammed into the neck of his target, who had a white hawk on his shoulder.

Zelda squinted and willed her arms to hold still. For the briefest moment, her mind won the battle, allowing her to release her arrow. As the two mounted officers looked over at their dying comrade, her arrow tore into the armor of the red hawk officer.

"You hit his arm." Link said, releasing his second arrow. It sank into the base of the third officer's spine as he ducked in a futile attempt to evade death.

Zelda cursed and drew a second arrow. The footmen were scrambling, having just realized that they were under attack. She drew back and fired in one smooth motion as Link did the same. One arrow went into the chest of one of the footmen, and the other buried itself in the wagon.

"Focus. You missed entirely." Link said. The red hawk officer had leaped from his horse, clutching his arm and barking out commands.

Zelda pulled another arrow from her quiver and took aim. Her body had been taken by adrenaline, granting her clarity. Link's arrow was away, and she looked at where it impacted. A swordsman fell to the ground, clutching his chest. One of the other mercenaries ran from behind the wagon to retrieve him.

_Focus, Zelda. _She told herself, aiming at the mercenary retrieving his comrade. She let her arrow glide off her fingers, releasing it just as she had been taught since childhood.

The arrow glinted in the sunlight for only a brief moment before burying itself in the soldier's gut. He screamed, dropping to the ground in a heap and allowing his fellow soldier to fall on top of himself.

"Over there!" One of them yelled, pointing into the trees.

"What do we do?" Zelda asked, ripping another arrow from her quiver in a panic. She shot it off rapidly, but it soared over the wagon and off into the distance.

"Not that." Link growled. He released an arrow, watched it cut through a mercenary's breastplate, and then put his bow on his back. "Draw your sword. They see us."

The injured officer ran from behind the wagon with his sword in hand. The remaining soldiers ran out behind him, screaming in rage.

"Step up beside me. If these guys try to surround us, turn around and we'll fight back to back." Link said calmly and clearly, drawing the Master Sword from its sheath. Zelda drew her sword as well, praying to the goddesses that she wouldn't panic. Although she had had a minor brush with the Celt before she knifed him, she had never seriously fought anyone with a sword. Much less nine skilled soldiers at one time.

"If I die, run." Link added as the mercenaries broke into the tree line.

"Kill those bastards!" The officer yelled, swinging his sword in a wide arc at Link. Link deflected the swing easily, but was forced to block another blow before he could finish the officer.

Zelda blocked an arm-jarring blow from one of the swordsmen and kicked him in the chest. He groaned and fell back into two of his companions. She took a step towards them and drove her sword down into his gut. The cheaply made armor all but shattered when the sword hit it, sealing the mercenary's fate immediately. The two men behind him dropped his body to the ground as Zelda pulled her sword out.

Link copied Zelda's tactic and kicked out at one of the swordsmen trying to get behind him, and then used the momentum to push himself into the officer. He swung the Master Sword around in a wide arc. As the officer moved to deflect his attack, Link did a lightning fast feint, followed by another. The actions left a wide-open hole in the officer's defense, which was quickly filled by Link's sword.

The battle paused momentarily as the black helmet sporting a red hawk rolled across the ground. The officer's body dropped with a thud. Link, however, took advantage of the momentary shock he had caused and drove his sword into another soldier's chest. He turned around and brought the Master Sword down in a massive overhanded blow, cutting clean through another's blade as if it were a stick of butter. Although the broken blade slowed the cut down, it still connected with the mercenary's helmet and smashed a massive dent into it.

One of the soldiers screamed a furious war cry at seeing the death of his commanding officer and charged Zelda. She turned and drove her sword into his chest, but was knocked to the ground by the force of his impact.

Link pivoted and drove his sword down through the leg of another mercenary, sending it flopping to the ground in a bloody cloud. He turned and looked at Zelda, and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. She was pinned underneath a dead soldier with her blade stuck in his chest. Two of the remaining mercenaries had gotten on either side of her. One kicked the dead soldier off of her, and the other raised his blade to stab her.

"No!" Link yelled, charging to where she lay. He raised his sword and struck out at the nearest soldier, who turned and raised his shield just in time. In turn, he whirled around and swiped at Link's leg, who jumped back out of the way.

As the body rolled off of her, Zelda was forced to let go of her sword, which was firmly planted in the dead man's ribcage. She rolled quickly to avoid the downward stab, and jumped out of the way of Link's one-on-one battle. She turned around just in time to dodge a backhanded swing from the mercenary who had been trying to kill her.

"Die!" He snarled, swinging again in furious circles. Zelda leapt back from each one and pulled her knife from her belt. Link was still fighting the other mercenary, and looked as if he had met his match. She would be getting no help from him, and was missing her sword. She had seen Link attempt this same thing in Astari when he was dueling Nicholas, but didn't know whether or not she could pull it off. She had only thrown a knife a few times before, and it was incredibly difficult.

"What are you waiting for?" She taunted, watching the mercenary seethe. He let out a feral scream and charged, raising his sword high. As he neared, Zelda dived to the right, just barely missing an overhead cleave. She leaped to her feet and pivoted, using her momentum to swing her arm around and throw the knife with all her strength.

The mercenary turned around and watched curiously as the knife sailed far over his head. Zelda froze, unsure of what to do.

_Now I'm screwed. I should have listened to Link. _She thought. The mercenary grinned and raised his sword.

"Oh no you don't!" Link yelled, crashing into the soldier from the side. His former opponent was lying in a bloody heap on the ground.

The mercenary roared and turned to Link, ready to tear him limb-from-limb. Link ducked under a massive arc and drove his sword upwards, through the soldier's chest, and out the other side. For a moment the two stared at each other, one in disbelief and the other with controlled, murderous rage. Slowly, the mercenary dropped to his knees and flopped onto his side.

Zelda looked around the trees, seeing only blood and death. Nine soldiers lay dead, with six more outside the trees. Only Zant's invasion of Hyrule Castle had been more bloody and barbaric than this.

"Are you okay?" Link asked quietly, looking around at the devastation.

Zelda nodded and started to sit down, but Link caught her.

"Colin is still in there." He said, stepping out of the treeline and approaching the wagon. Zelda followed tentatively, trying to keep her knees from buckling under the surge of adrenaline that hadn't stopped since the fight began.

"Colin?" Link called, banging on the back door of the wagon. It was locked with an enormous padlock.

"Link?" Came a frantic voice from inside. "Is that you?"

"Yes!" Link called, letting out a breath he had been holding unintentionally. "Are you okay?"

"Mostly." Colin replied. "There's a family in here with me, though, and another prisoner that's badly hurt. He…er…you should see him for yourself. He's been muttering about how he needs to see Princess Zelda the entire time we've been in here."

"How convenient." Link muttered. He whistled for Epona, who broke from the trees and rode up next to the wagon. Link pulled his shield from her saddle and slammed it into the padlock, nearly ripping the thing in half. He lifted the latch and opened the doors of the carriage.

The lanky blonde boy leapt out of the back, beaming up at Link, who embraced him and slapped his back.

"I heard you killed two of those bastards back in Ordon." Link said, smiling at the boy.

"Damn right I did." Colin said.

Link looked back into the wagon at the other residents. There was a woman with a small girl, both of whom looked nearly catatonic with fear. In the back corner was a man wearing strange clothing. The lower half of his face was covered with a white cloth, as well as his hair. The rest of his clothes were dark gray with white bands around his wrists and thighs.

"Please, don't hurt us. I have my child." The woman pleaded, stepping to the back of the wagon and pulling her child behind herself.

"I'm here to help." Link said, offering his hand.

The woman stared at Link skeptically, still not budging from the back of the wagon. "I'd feel more comfortable trusting you if you weren't covered in blood and congratulating that young man for killing people."

"We're covered in the blood of the mercenaries who were holding you captive." Zelda cut in, quickly getting frustrated. "And as for this young man, he stood up to an overwhelming force and singlehandedly took down two of them and injured a third before he was captured. If he were in the military, he would be given a medal for something like that."

Colin seemed to notice Zelda for the first time, but didn't recognize who she was. He took one look at her face and blushed deeply, turning awkwardly back to Link.

"Please come out of there. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so by now. I'm Link. Surely you've heard of me?" Link said, glad that his name had some recognition behind it.

"Oh…" The woman muttered awkwardly, realizing who she was talking to. "Please forgive me. We were captured last night and we've been on edge since then."

"That's quite all right." Link replied, helping the woman down from the wagon and setting her young girl down behind her. He turned back to look at the mysterious man sitting in the corner. "Can you come out of there?"

"I'm going to need some help." The man replied, grunting as he attempted to stand up. By the sound of his voice, he was fairly young. Link hopped in and hauled him to his feet, putting his arm around the other man's shoulder and helping him climb down from the wagon without collapsing. He was sporting a large gash on his right side, which was festering and becoming infected.

As the man stepped down from the wagon, his eyes immediately went to Zelda. Without hesitation, he bowed his head.

"Your majesty." He said. Colin nearly leaped off the ground in shock.

"Not right now." Zelda said, taking a few steps forward and pulling a red potion from her satchel. She pressed it up underneath the cloth covering the man's face and forced him to drink. He grimaced slightly as the bitter liquid crossed his tongue and burnt his throat, but nodded appreciatively.

"Feels better already." He said, wiping the excess from his mouth and applying it to the wound directly. Some of the swelling and infected tissue cleared away immediately. "The name's Justin. I was captured three days ago in the village of Hearne. I was covering the villagers as they ran, and got overwhelmed."

"Why are you dressed like this?" Link asked curiously.

"It's the order I was trained in. I would prefer to say no more on the subject-"

A ferocious roar behind Zelda interrupted the conversation. She turned around and saw one of the mercenaries charging towards her. His helmet had been smashed in the battle, but the blow had clearly not killed him.

Link began to draw his sword, but there wasn't enough time to react as the soldier swung his sword around, aiming to cleave Zelda straight down the middle of her body. She only had time to stare in shock at the approaching blade. Time seemed to slow down, and she raised her arm in a feeble attempt to protect herself.

The mercenary swung his sword downward, and Zelda closed her eyes. She expected to see some kind of light, or at least feel a sharp pain. The pain came from her arm, but nothing else. For a few seconds, she stood there, clenching her eyes shut in absolute terror. She willed them to open, but couldn't bring herself to do it.

"ZELDA!" Link roared. The pure feral rage forced Zelda to look. The mercenary had cut into her arm, but had staggered back in the process. A large throwing knife was poking out of his bicep, rendering the entire arm useless. Link charged past her and roundhouse kicked the man in the head.

"DIE!" He yelled, bringing his sword up and hacking the mercenary's head from his body in one massive swing. As the body fell to the ground, he brought the Master Sword up and stabbed it through the lifeless heart.

Zelda stared in shock at what was going on. She had seen Link kill many times, but had never seen him execute or overkill someone. He was always preaching efficiency; execution style kills and overkills simply wasted time and effort, as well as sprayed more blood than necessary. All of these thoughts seemed to have been erased from his mind, however, as he stabbed the body again.

As he did so, Zelda dropped to the ground. One glance at her left arm told her that the mercenary's sword had cut straight down to the bone. Though she was afraid to try moving her fingers, she did anyways. Her ring and pinky fingers wouldn't move at all. They were completely unresponsive.

"Drink." Link said. He had finished stabbing the dead body and retrieved a blue potion from Epona's saddlebags. She did as instructed, and her mind began to come back into focus. There was blood everywhere, and she realized that much of it was hers.

"I can't move two of my fingers." She said, panicking slightly. He took her arm and poured some of the potion into the giant slash, which was still spurting blood rapidly. The more of the potion he rubbed into the wound, though, the slower the blood flowed.

"You're going to be fine." Link said, although he didn't sound completely convinced. His face had gone into an ashen-gray pallor, and he seemed like he was holding back a panic attack. His hands were beginning to shake violently.

A firm hand gripped Link's shoulder, and he looked up to see Justin standing over the two of them. He had thrown the knife and, although he had missed the mercenary's heart, had saved Zelda's life. He took the blue potion from Link and began applying it to Zelda's wound himself. His own wound was closing up miraculously as the red potion did its job.

"Go sit down." He said. "It's better if you don't have to treat someone you care about after something like this. I'll handle it from here."

"I…" Link began to protest, but stopped. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Okay."

Colin stared at Link in amazement as he sat down and buried his face in his hands. He had never seen his role model have an emotional breakdown like that. Yes, there had been days that Link had been in a bad mood, but he had never seen any kind of weakness in the hero. And here he was, nearly in tears over something that had happened to Zelda.

_Is there something… _He wondered to himself, glancing between Link and Zelda suspiciously.

The mother, who had quickly dragged her daughter behind the wagon at the first sign of danger, peeked around the corner.

"Is it safe now?" She asked.

"Yes." Link replied wearily. "Who are you and why were you in that wagon?"

"Oh…I…well…" The woman stuttered, caught off guard by the question. "I'm Sarah Ordnar…the wife of General Ivan Ordnar. I think they captured us as leverage to keep Ivan in Castle Town and prevent his troops from defecting. I…think they told him we're dead. Or that we're going to be dead soon if his soldiers don't behave."

"I'll have to make sure he knows that you're safe." Link mumbled.

"What are you planning on doing with all of us?" Sarah asked, almost fearfully. "We can't go back to Castle Town. It's horrible there!"

"You're not going back there." Link replied, obviously fighting to keep himself calm. "Zelda and I are going to Zora's Domain. You'll be safe there, as well as your kid. If all goes well, your husband can bring his troops there and you two will be reunited."

Sarah immediately exhaled in relief. "You hear that, Daisy? We should see daddy again soon."

The little girl was still too terrified to say anything as she stared at Link.

"She's fallen unconscious." Justin said, laying Zelda down. Her wound had been mostly healed, and the blood had stopped spraying out. As it had with Justin minutes before, the potion had done its job. That hadn't prevented Zelda from going unconscious, though. She was likely in shock, and would need quite a bit of rest before she could fight again.

"We need to move." Link said, standing up. Colin thought he saw the hero's eyes welling up with tears, but couldn't be sure. "Let's get Zelda in the wagon. Sarah and Daisy, you two should stay in there, as well. Justin and Colin, let's go get Zelda's horse and round up the three that the officers were riding."

Link paused momentarily and turned to Justin. "Are you coming with us?"

"Absolutely." Justin replied, nodding.

"Good." Link said. "Let's get moving."


	9. Chapter 9

**This is going to be my last chapter for a little while. I'm going back to do stuff for school, and up until the point where school starts my days are going to be filled with various activities. So basically don't expect anything until September.**

**Maybe the fact that this is the longest chapter yet will help make up for that. Please review.**

Chapter 9

It took four days to reach Zora's Domain, most of which Zelda remained unconscious. She woke a few times and managed to keep some water down, but food was simply too much. Even a light beef broth with mushrooms was almost unbearable to her.

Justin proved immensely helpful during the trip, although mysterious. The only thing that Link could find out about him was that he was fiercely loyal to the princess and extremely deadly. He was very skilled with a bow and throwing knives, but didn't carry a sword. Any questions about where he was from were ignored, avoided, or averted.

King Ralis was skeptical of the entire situation.

"I'm aware that Councilor Brutus took over the entire legal system." He told Link in his throne room as soon as Zelda had been handed over to the Zora doctors. The sixteen-year-old king had shown that he was quite adept in matters of all types since being crowned the year following the Twilight Invasion. His young age was deceptive, as he held himself up in court better than veteran politicians.

"And you realize he's going to be coming for you next, right?" Link asked. Justin was standing next to him, monitoring the conversation.

"What would Marcus want with the Zoras? We hardly have anything of value to him." Ralis said.

"If you'll allow me." Justin cut in politely. "From what I've observed so far, Marcus isn't the least bit concerned with resources. If he were, he would have directed an assault on the Gorons by now and taken their valuable gems and minerals. I believe Councilor Brutus is more interested in power and control than material possessions, although I'm sure those come with his position."

"So you think that Brutus will take control of Zora's Domain simply because he can?" Ralis asked.

"Exactly." Justin replied. "This isn't a hunch. This is nearly a certainty."

Ralis scowled as he pondered the theory.

"Your majesty, I wish I had had other options, but I've got two large forces of former Hylian soldiers coming towards Zoras Domain in the next few weeks." Link said, feeling the need to warn the king before the soldiers actually arrived. "There will be upwards of a thousand of them camped along the river. If you allow them to stay, they will be instructed to protect the Domain with their lives. No mercenaries will enter here unless every single one of those Hylians lies dead."

Ralis stood up quickly. "Are you insane? You told them to come here without my permission?! Brutus will see this as an act of war!"

"Your majesty, please think about this." Justin said. Link was relieved that he had the mysterious warrior on his side. "We just discussed that Marcus isn't doing this for resources. He wants power. Bringing Zora's Domain under his iron curtain will extend his realm of control, and add all of you to the growing slave trade going on in Castle Town right now. Having the Hylian soldiers here will do nothing more to aggravate Brutus than your presence here is already doing."

Ralis stared at Justin for a few silent moments before sitting back down.

"I see what you mean." He said finally, turning back to Link. "I will consider what you have said about this, and will have a final decision by the time your troops arrive. For now, you are welcome to stay as long as you need. I haven't forgotten my old friend, and I certainly won't hand you over to Councilor Brutus."

Link nodded thankfully.

"Once again, you have my assurance that Princess Zelda will be all right. The doctors told me that it's just simple blood loss." Ralis said. "There's nothing to do but give her lots of water and try to get her to keep solid food down. She should only be in our medical wing for a day or two at most. As for you two, you're going to be sharing a room right down the hall from where Zelda is. I believe the young man who came with you has already been shown there. I would have given you separate rooms, but we've had quite a flux in our population. All the space is taken up."

Link glanced over at Justin and nodded. It appeared that he would be getting to know the assassin very well until Zelda was feeling better.

As he thought of Zelda, Link's stomach lurched. A moment of carelessness on his part had nearly cost her life. If not for Justin's lightning fast reaction, she would have been dead before Link's sword had even been drawn. As it stood, she had nearly lost her arm. She still couldn't move two of her fingers, and the doctors had said that they were beyond repair. The tendon connecting them in her arm had been severed. Even a potion wouldn't be able to fix that.

_I guess it's good that it was in her left hand. _He thought to himself as a friendly Zora escorted him and Justin down the hall. _She's going to have one hell of a time holding a bow steady now, though, what with using only three fingers. It's better than…_

He couldn't finish the thought. It was too painful.

As King Ralis had said, Colin was waiting in the assigned room, pacing back and forth.

"Is he with us?" He asked Link the moment they were shown into the room.

"He's not against us." Link replied, trying to make light of the situation. "And we have a home for now. That's all we can ask. I think Ralis is going to need to be attacked before he'll actually realize what's going on."

Justin walked over to one of the small beds and dropped his small bag of possessions onto it. The room was sparse, containing four beds and nothing else. It was clearly made simply for sleeping in and nothing more.

"So he's not going to help us?" Colin asked, slightly disappointed.

"We'll see." Link said, pausing to sit on a bed for a few moments. "I'm going to go check on Zelda. You two should go explore. I have a feeling that Marcus will be attacking soon, and we need to know this place like the back of our hands if that happens."

Justin grunted in agreement and left the room without a word. Colin, however, looked at Link skeptically.

"What's with you and Princess Zelda?" He asked, grinning.

"What?" Link asked.

"I've seen how you look at her." Colin said. "I saw how you reacted when she got hurt. I saw the way you tended to her like she was Farore come to earth. You _like _her, don't you?"

"That's ridiculous, Colin." Link said. "She's the princess."

"She's still a woman." Colin replied. "And you've been traveling with her for almost two months. She's also one of the most attractive people I've ever seen in my life. And by the way you talk about her, she must be one hell of a woman. So answer my question. Do you have feelings for her?"

"I think there's a little bit more to feelings for someone than appearance." Link said, deflecting.

"Once again, you've failed to answer my question." Colin said, refusing to be distracted.

Link stood up and walked to the door. "You should go and explore the Domain. I'll be in the medical wing if you need me."

As he was walking out, he glanced back momentarily. "And if you need me, it better be a damn good reason."

Colin snickered as Link left the room.

"Gotcha."

**BREAK**

The doctors allowed Link in after enough hassling, although they insisted that his visiting Zelda would only hinder her recovery. Naturally, he didn't believe them or value their opinions in the slightest.

Zelda was fast asleep, but Link made no move to wake her. Instead, he sat down on the floor beside her bed and laid his head back on the wall. He didn't have anything to say at the moment. He just didn't want to trust the Zora guards with her life.

After about an hour, the long trip finally caught up to him and he dozed off. Sleeping on the stone floor was hardly comfortable, but it didn't seem to matter. Within moments, he had dropped into a deep sleep, one which was undisturbed even by the hustle and bustle of the medical wing around him. Zora doctors and nurses were everywhere, constantly peeking in to check on Zelda. Once, Justin glanced through the curtains, but left when he saw Link sleeping next to her.

As Link slept, he dreamt of something unusual.

_Let me go, Link. _Midna said quietly. She was fading away into the distance._ You can't stop it now._

_No! _Link yelled, grabbing out towards his companion. She was disappearing into the mirror faster than he was comfortable with.

_You can't go with me. I'm doing this to protect you. The Twilight Realm houses all of the evil that we spent this last year fighting. I have to do this._

_Then stay here. Break the mirror and stay here. _Link pleaded. He was becoming desperate.

_I'm sorry. _Midna said, looking down at the ground. She looked guilty, as if she weren't being completely honest.

Link tried to leap forward and grab her, but he was stuck.

_This is a dream. _He realized. It didn't end, though.

In the blink of an eye, he was standing in the throne room of Hyrule Castle. Before him was a massive audience, with many of the nobles of the court in attendance. Zelda was standing to his right. Kneeling at his feet was Marcus Brutus, pleading for his life.

_Please, Link, it wasn't me! I was possessed! _He begged, tears running openly down his face.

_Kill him. _Zelda instructed. Only now did Link notice that he was holding the Master Sword.

_I never had a trial! I was never asked what happened! _Marcus cried. Link was torn. Criminals were guaranteed a trial, no matter how heinous their crime. Even the princess of Hyrule didn't have the right to take that away. On the other hand, Zelda would never lead him in the wrong direction. If she thought Marcus deserved to die for what he had done, surely she was right.

_What are you waiting for? _Zelda asked. Link raised the Master Sword above his head, and then looked up at the princess. For the briefest moment, her eyes flashed red.

In an instant, Link knew what he had to do. The Master Sword flared with the power to repel evil, as if it sensed the urgency of the situation. He thrust the sword into Zelda's chest and twisted, drawing an unearthly scream from her lips. Her body exploded into flames.

As he dropped the sword and staggered back, Link looked on the scene in horror.

_What have I done? _He thought. Marcus rolled away from the searing flames and Link pulled him to his feet.

_That's not Zelda! _The councilor yelled over the screaming in the crowd. The nobles were rushing for the door.

_Where is she? _Link asked, dragging Marcus away from the scene and trying to untie his hands.

"Link!" He heard. A hand gripped his shoulder and shook him lightly. "Wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Link awoke with a start and jumped to his feet. Zelda sat back in her bed, looking slightly shocked at his reaction. Based on the torchlight being cast on the ceiling over the curtains, nighttime had fallen.

"Didn't you say that Marcus Brutus was one of your most trusted councilors?" Link asked suddenly. Zelda squinted at him uncertainly.

"Well, yes. I said that before all this happened." She replied. "But it seems that that was only a front. All this didn't overly surprise me, unfortunately. He probably just hid his corruption well up until the point he was put in power."

"What if this weren't his fault?" Link asked.

"How on earth could this be anything but his fault?"

"Think about it. What if he were actually extremely loyal to you, but had been influenced in some way. Is there any kind of magic that can take over someone's mind?"

Zelda frowned, moderately confused by Link's outburst. He was usually groggy and unhappy about being awoken in the middle of the night. This was definitely out of character.

"That kind of magic hasn't been used since before the Hero of Time. Only the ancient Sheikah knew how to control dark energy in ways that could bend the will of the mind. That's one of the hardest things to do." Zelda said. "Theoretically, no. Controlling someone's mind and forcing them to go against their own will is impossible."

"You say theoretically as if there's a way." Link said. He was staring intently at the curtains, frowning to himself.

"Well, I suppose there's a way somewhere." Zelda replied. "But such a spell would probably demand so much energy that the caster would die in seconds. Not to mention that all of the Sheikah magic was lost when Impa, the Sage of Time's mentor, died. She refused to teach even the seven sages at the time, saying that no mortal had the right to control dark energy like that."

Link didn't respond.

"What's all this about?" Zelda asked.

"I wasn't having a nightmare." Link said, finally looking at her. "I think it was a vision of some kind. I saw you again, but you were telling me to execute Marcus before he was even given a trial. And then I realized that it wasn't you at all."

"Who was it?"

"I don't know." Link replied honestly.

"I wouldn't give too much credit to it." Zelda said. "It's just a dream, after all."

Link pondered her words, but said nothing more until she changed the subject.

"Is this Zora's Domain?"

"Yes." Link said. "We just got here a few hours ago, actually. How's your hand?"

Zelda held up her left arm and tried to wiggle her fingers. Her ring and pinky fingers still wouldn't move.

"Nothing." She said quietly. Try as she might, she couldn't conceal the tears that welled up in her eyes. Link noticed immediately and sat down in the chair by her bed. Tentatively, he took her injured hand.

"Don't think about it." He said. "If not for Justin, you would have lost your entire arm. And besides, it will be easy to adjust to this."

"I'm sorry, Link." Zelda said, wiping her tears away with her sleeve. "I should have listened to you. You begged me to stay away from danger, and I see why. Now I'll never move either of these fingers again because of my stubborn pride."

Link shushed her with a squeeze of her hand.

"You did what you thought was right." He said. "Nobody can ever fault you for that."

For a moment, they remained silent. Nothing could replace the loss of those two fingers, however minute a role they might have played in Zelda's life. The injury had harmed her emotionally far greater than it had physically. Those fingers hardly served much of a function in her every day life. However, the memory of the mercenary's sword hacking into her arm would remain forever. The knowledge of how close she had been to death would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Train me." She said finally.

"What?" Link asked, slightly taken aback.

"You heard me. I need to be trained." Zelda affirmed. "I know the basics of using a sword. I probably know more than the average swordsman, actually. And I know that I can hold myself up in the heat of battle. But I need to be better. I need to be on your level, to the point where I know that I can handle myself in a fight. To the point where I won't be so nervous that half of my arrows miss. I want to be skilled enough so that if I have to cut Marcus Brutus down myself, I'm able to."

Link stared at the princess in shock for a few moments, but finally nodded.

"You'll do it?" Zelda asked hopefully.

"Yes, I will." Link replied. "But don't expect it to be easy. If you want me to train you, you better be ready to work hard. You'll get bruised. You'll be sore. You most certainly won't be clean and dignified during the process. It's going to suck. Do you think you're up for that?"

"Damn right I am." Zelda growled, wiping away the remnants of her tears. Silently, she made a commitment to never shed tears over those fingers again. She would only train to make sure that she never suffered another injury like that.

"Good." Link said. "Do you think you can walk?"

Zelda threw the sheets off of herself and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Using Link for support, she slowly rose to her feet.

"I think so." She muttered, but nearly collapsed as she was hit by a severe bout of vertigo. Link grabbed her around the waist and held her up while she regained her balance.

"Maybe this is a bad idea." He muttered.

"No." Zelda said, grabbing onto his arm. "I can do this. I'll just need a little help until I get my balance again."

Link looked at her skeptically, but seemed satisfied with the present situation and gave in.

"We'll just take a short walk." He said. "There's a place here that I always liked. I found it when I was wandering Zora's Domain as a wolf trying to find some of those blasted bugs of darkness or whatever they were called."

As they walked out of the medical wing, Link told Zelda all about his painstaking journey through Lanayru Province, during which time he had combed through Zora's Domain ten separate times looking for the tears of light to bring Lanayru back to full strength. Zelda listened intently, having never gotten many details about his adventure before she had given her soul up to save Midna.

Link led Zelda up multiple stone ramps, and even had to pick her up and jump at one point. They landed safely, and then clambered up on top of the mesa surrounding the Domain.

"What's this?" Zelda asked as Link pulled her up. To the northeast, she had a perfect view of Snowpeak. To the south, Hyrule Castle and Castle Town were visible underneath the full moon. Even the tops of Kakariko's tallest buildings were visible in the shadow of Death Mountain. When Zelda saw the dark ring of Faron Woods, she realized that almost all of Hyrule could be seen from this one spot.

"This was my favorite spot." Link said, sighing contentedly. "I would come here when I felt overwhelmed and spend a few hours relaxing. Sometimes I'd just turn into a wolf and fall asleep. None of the Zoras seem interested in it, so it's pretty solitary. I could have stared at the sky all night from here if I had had the time. We won't stay here long if you want to go back."

"No." Zelda said immediately. "Let's stay for a while."

Link looked at her, surprised. "You like this place?"

"Of course I do." She said, sitting down on the grass. "I can see all of Hyrule from here. It's wonderful."

Link sat down next to the princess and stared up at the moon. For a while, the two sat in companionable silence. A wolf howled in the distance, causing both of them to smile. Link had become overly fond of wolves since his adventure, and they were often to be found roaming around his house when he was home.

Eventually, Zelda shivered in the chilly air and scooted closer to Link. He wrapped his arm around her tentatively, as if she might turn and slap him at any moment. Instead, she snuggled closer to him, smiling as his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

"You're warm." Zelda murmured. Link laughed nervously, but quickly settled back into their silence. The wolf howled again, this time sounding much farther away.

For over an hour, the two sat together on top of Zora's Domain. Eventually, Link's head drooped down, and he fell fast asleep. Zelda carefully laid him down in the grass, and then laid her head on his chest. Lulled by the slow, rhythmic thumping of his heart, she too drifted into her dreams.

**BREAK**

Link was awoken by a slight pinching on his ear. He groaned, trying to roll over, but was stuck in place because Zelda was still curled up next to him. He swatted his hand at whatever was causing the pain, but was met with empty air. Deciding that whatever it had been was gone, he scooted closer to the princess. This was like a dream come true.

As he relaxed and basked in the glory of the situation, he felt a slight nibbling on his earlobe.

With another groan, he turned his head and opened his eyes to find out what was bothering him.

_If this is Colin's idea of a joke…_ He thought to himself. However, Colin was nowhere to be found. Instead, he found himself staring into the eyes of a large, brown, and very amused eagle.

"Dear goddesses!" Link yelled, jumping to his feet.

"What the hell is that?" Zelda exclaimed as she awoke with a start. She rolled behind Link and peeked out from behind his legs.

"It's just an eagle." Link said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Sorry, it scared me. It's like it was trying to do that all along."

Tied to the eagle's leg was what looked like a letter. Carefully, Link reached down and pulled the string, praying to the goddesses that the bird wouldn't take his arm off in the process. The paper came off and he unfolded it.

"It's a letter from Lieutenant Allen." He said before reading it out loud.

"_Princess Zelda_

_I hope Gino didn't give you too much of a shock. He likes to play with people before he actually delivers his letters. He's quite harmless, so there's no need to worry about him._

_As requested, this is my report of the 507__th__'s troop movements. All of the civilians and family members have been given refuge in Eden. The mayor assured me that he would keep their identities secret, and they will be put to work in the fields until all of this blows over._

_My troops have said their goodbyes and are currently returning to the main body of Hyrule. My scouts should arrive at our predetermined meeting place in six days, with the main force arriving four days later._

_All the best to you._

_Lieutenant Allen_

"Well that's good. So we just have to hope Zora's Domain doesn't get invaded in the next ten days." Zelda said, sounding only somewhat hopeful. She stared reproachfully at Gino the eagle, wishing him a painful death for ruining her perfect morning.

"There's a PS." Link said, staring down at the tiny writing at the bottom of the letter. _"My bird won't always make the return journey unless he's well rested. If that's the case, he's going to be following you around for a few days, and you won't be able to do anything about it. I apologize if this is an inconvenience."_

"You know, he's actually sort of cute." Zelda said, looking at Gino. The eagle looked up at her in response and hopped over to Link. He nibbled at his boots affectionately, and then rubbed his head into his hand.

"He's like a dog." Link said, scratching the back of Gino's head. The eagle's narrow green eyes hinted at a cunning intelligence that Zelda hadn't seen since Link had come into her tower as a wolf. She almost mentioned it to Link, but thought better of it as she saw him bonding with the eagle.

"You two seem to get along well." She said with a smile as Gino climbed up onto Link's shoulder.

"He's probably trying to make sure I don't kill him for what he did a minute ago." Link replied, although his voice lacked any kind of seriousness. He was already attached to the eagle, despite its bad timing.

Briefly, Zelda thought about mentioning the previous night to Link. Before she could make up her mind, however, she was interrupted.

"Princess Zelda, King Ralis has urgent need of you."

Zelda nearly screamed, and Link went so far as to rip his knife from his boot, causing Gino to flutter off of his shoulder with a screech of protest. They both turned to find Justin standing near the ledge that led to the top of the mesa.

"Gods above, Justin. Did you have to scare us like that?" Link asked. "What's this all about?"

"I apologize." Justin said. "But you should hear it from Ralis himself. It's an emergency."

The three of them clambered down from the mesa as quickly as possible, heading for the throne room. When they reached it, they found the place in chaos. Zoras were running everywhere, yelling in panic. King Ralis was barking orders, sending his aides scrambling. When he saw Zelda, he pushed through the crowd and ran up to her.

"Zelda!" Ralis said. "Eighteen of our guards down on Lake Hylia were attacked! Link, what color armor did you say those mercenaries wore?"

"Black and blue." Link said.

"Goddesses." Ralis muttered. "They marched in, killed five of them, and then captured the rest. They took them to Castle Town! What does this mean?"

Link swore under his breath. "They're taking them to be sold on the slave market! You have to send a hit squad in to retrieve them before they get there!"

Ralis gaped at Link for a few moments, as if he couldn't believe what he was being told. It seemed as though he hadn't believed Justin when he had told him about the slave trade.

"The mercenaries are benefitting from the slave trade. Not just Marcus." Zelda said. "You don't have time to sit here in disbelief. If you want those Zoras to be safe, you need to send a force _now_!"

Ralis turned and pointed at one of the armored Zoras. The soldier ran to him.

"What is it, your majesty?"

"General, I need you to put together a squad of your best and fastest fighters and send them to retrieve the survivors of that attack." Ralis said. "It needs to be quick and clean. We don't have much time. Those guards are going to be sold into slavery if we allow them to reach Castle Town."

The general didn't wait around for formalities. He sprinted out of the throne room and jumped down the waterfall.

"Link, I need you to go with them." Ralis pleaded. "Our soldiers have nothing on your skill. Men are stronger, faster, and better with swords. My soldiers will be slaughtered!"

Link nodded, and Justin stepped forward.

"I will accompany them, as well." He said. "I can provide cover from afar."

"Thank you." Ralis said. "Please go down to the barracks and meet with General Tulane. He's the same one who just ran out a second ago. Tell him that you two will go with whatever group he has selected. I'm sure he'll be most appreciative. I will make sure that the princess is safe in your absence."

Zelda didn't argue. She still felt slightly sick from her injury, and knew that she wasn't skilled enough for this kind of hit-and-run mission. Link would never allow her to go, anyways. Not until she had trained further and gotten used to compensating for her injured hand.

Link laid a hand on her shoulder, briefly locking eyes and making sure that she understood. Seeing no disagreement, he turned on his heel and ran out to the waterfall with Justin.

"Be safe, Link." Zelda whispered, feeling a pang of sadness as he ran out.

"Your majesty, you should return to the medical wing." Ralis said. "I understand that you and Link are…well…he will return safely. You can't help anyone by fretting about it."

Zelda nodded and stepped away from the commotion. She fell into her mattress in the medical wing without so much as a word to anyone. She wasn't tired in the least, but had nothing else to do. The entire turn of events made her want to sit down and cry, but she refused to allow herself that luxury. There were people who had lost much, much more than she had. Link walking into danger was nothing new, and she was fairly certain that he would come out of it unscathed.

"Princess?"

Zelda jumped as Colin peeked around the open curtain. She gestured for him to come in, and then closed the curtain behind him.

"Your majesty, I-"

"Relax, Colin." She said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not a princess right now, and you certainly don't have to be nervous talking to me."

Colin released a pent-up breath. "I…well I couldn't help but overhear what's going on. Did Link really leave?"

"Yes." Zelda said, trying to look positive.

"Oh…" Colin muttered. "Well, I'm sure he'll be fine, I guess. He's always running off to do things like this. Ever since he came back, he's been all over Hyrule trying to stop robbers and thieves and people like that."

"Link has been doing all that on his own?" Zelda asked. "How often?"

"Probably once a month when it's not harvesting season." Colin replied absentmindedly. "He was always miserable during harvesting season because he couldn't leave."

Zelda frowned. She hadn't known this about Link, having always assumed that he had wanted to settle down after his long journey. It certainly made sense when she thought about it, though. The longer they had been on the road, the happier Link had been. Despite the present troubles, he seemed to be ecstatic at having something to do.

"He was always training with his sword, too." Colin mention, almost as an afterthought. "He got sort of weird when he came back. Always unhappy and stuff. Wolves were always around his house, but would never bother anyone. We all left them alone because otherwise Link would come out and run us off."

"What other 'funny' things did you see?" Zelda asked curiously. She was amazed at how quickly Colin had been distracted from whatever he had come for.

"Well, I saw a _really _funny looking wolf one time. It was gold, had red eyes, and was sort of…I don't know. Like, see through, sort of. Most of the wolves would run from us when we came around, but this one just stared at me. It wasn't like he was hungry or anything. It was just weird and freaky, though. I felt like it was analyzing me."

"What if I told you he probably was?" Zelda said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that there's a lot about Link that he hasn't told you."

Colin's face immediately lit up with excitement.

"I know there is!" He whispered excitedly, as if Link might be just around the corner. "Do you know something about that gold wolf?"

"Of course I do. Link told me most of his story." Zelda replied.

Colin stared at her in amazement.

"What was the gold wolf? Was it a person in disguise? And why are there so many wolves around Link's house now? What happened to Hyrule? I heard he's a hero, but nobody ever says anything besides that he killed some dark sorcerer and saved the land."

Zelda was tempted to answer his questions, but stopped herself.

"Have you considered simply asking Link?"

The boy looked thunderstruck, as if the thought had never occurred to him.

"I don't think it would work." He muttered, looking dejected.

"Why not? He's always been very open with me about all the things that happened." Zelda said.

"Yeah, but you're…you're the princess. And…well…you know…"

"And what?" Zelda asked, confused.

"I mean…all I'm saying is…I saw how he reacted when…you know…that guy cut your arm up…"

"What on earth are you talking about, Colin?"

Colin had turned a deep shade of red, and couldn't seem to look anywhere but his feet. For a few moments, he stammered unintelligently, and then began to back out of the room.

"It's nothing. Never mind." He muttered finally, but Zelda laid a hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaving.

"You know, you can talk to me about whatever you want. Despite being a princess, I'm still a fairly normal person." She said. "What's on your mind?"

Colin was silent for a few more moments before finally being able to make eye contact. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Well, I was just wondering if there was something between you and Link. Like…you know, he was never interested in any of the girls in Ordon once he came back. Then you come around he's all different. He seems so much…happier, I guess. And when you got hurt back in Hyrule Field, I don't think I've ever seen him so angry."

"Where are you going with this?" Zelda said, knowing full well what he was trying to ask.

"I guess…well… Are you his girlfriend or something?"

Zelda couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her lips. She was amused that Colin had even noticed such things, but chalked it down to the fact that Link was the younger boy's role model.

"If only I were that lucky." She answered. Colin looked slightly disappointed.

"Oh, well I saw…never mind. I just thought, you know…maybe…"

He turned a deeper red than Zelda knew possible, and didn't bother with goodbyes as he turned and nearly ran out of the medical ward. Zelda suppressed another laugh as he left, and decided that she liked him. He had the same sense of curiosity as Link, and was only slightly more afraid to ask questions.

"Maybe one day, Colin. Just not today." She murmured.

**BREAK**

The rest of the day wore on slowly. Zelda tried to help in any way she could, but found that she was quite useless to the Zoras. The only things they ever did were swim and fish, and Zelda was nearly useless at both tasks. Physical conditioning was still out of the question due to her injury not being fully healed. Her body was still somewhat weak from the blood loss.

In failing to find any possible options to keep herself busy, she finally climbed to the top of the mesa and sat down simply so that she would be out of the way of the chaos going on below. The entire Zora military was mobilizing to prepare for a possible siege on the Domain. Ralis knew better than to think that he could wage a full-scale war on Hyrule, but also recognized his strategic advantage on the river. His soldiers could swim, and also held the high ground. In doing so, they would inflict massive casualties on any mercenary force stupid enough to attack the Domain.

As she sat atop the mesa, Zelda couldn't help but stare longingly at Hyrule Castle. No matter how much grief the place had caused her in the past and present, it was still home. To see it in the hands of a power-hungry tyrant upset her to no end. She had already had to reclaim her home once. To have to do so again seemed unfair.

_I want to go home. _She thought to herself. Her mind wandered to all of the people still stuck in the castle. Her people. Her friends. They hadn't been so lucky. Marcus had an iron grip on the capital; nobody left unless they had a very good reason. Those who had been left behind would remain there until they were rescued.

And at this rate, it would be a very long time before they were rescued.

_Something needs to be done. _She thought suddenly. Her people were in trouble. Many of them might try to riot or protest, which would lead to their untimely deaths.

_No, that won't do. _Zelda thought, mulling over solutions. As she reflected on ideas, she began to look for less and less conventional methods. There was no doubt that many of the loyal soldiers had been locked in the dungeon when Marcus had seized power. There, a sizable force would be waiting for her.

_And who knows the secret passageways through the castle better than the princess?_

The idea seemed ludicrous. Impossible. Link would wring her neck if he found out that she had even _thought _it was a good plan, so she brushed it aside. Even the Hero of Twilight with his Triforce of Courage wouldn't try something so risky.

But over time, the idea became more and more appealing. The last person that Marcus expected in the castle was Princess Zelda herself. If she hurried, she could be back before Link. He would never have to know.

_Actually, Link probably _would _do this if he knew how. If he would do it, I should. It's my duty. I got these people into this mess. Now it's time to get them out of it._

Zelda climbed down from the mesa and walked to the medical wing. The doctors were rushing around as usual, and paid little mind to her. They had other patients that needed care. She grabbed her cloak, sword, and bow, put them all on, and left the room quietly.

The rest of the Domain was just as chaotic as before, with fully armored Zoras running every direction. Nobody noticed as Zelda walked to the south and slipped into the river.

_What am I doing? This is stupid. Link would kill me._

The thought didn't deter her, though, as she drifted down the lazy current. She knew that she should have thought through this plan before she ran off. There were thousands of different factors, most of which would end with her painful death. Some unknown force kept her moving, though. She floated for nearly two hours, dodging the occasional rock and only stepping out of the water to pass the bone-shattering rapids.

Finally, Zelda reached the bottom of the river, where a large stone wall with three grates blocked all solid objects from continuing towards Castle Town. The steel grates were enormous, stretching down nearly fifty feet to the bottom of the river. To the naked eye, they were impassable. In fact, to nearly everyone, they were. As the steel poles had been forged, the best magicians in Hyrule had infused them with magic. Even Ganondorf, with all his strength, hadn't been able to destroy the grates.

The grates held one well-kept secret, though. One of the pipes yielded itself to members of the royal family. The hole was at the bottom of the river, which had prevented its constant use. However, in absolute emergencies, the swim was bearable.

Zelda rolled out of the river and laid on the grass for a minute. There was only one way to get to the bottom of the river without running out of oxygen. Finally, she stood up and walked to the edge of the wall. There, a pile of small boulders and cinderblocks had fallen into the ditch from when the river had dried up and then come flooding back a few years before. Zelda picked out a medium sized rock.

"Here goes nothing." She muttered to herself. She still couldn't shake the conviction that the plan was going to go horribly wrong, but ignored her gut and rolled the boulder to the edge of the river. She pushed it in, grabbed hold, and sank straight to the bottom of the current.

_Third bar from the right. _Zelda thought, letting go of the boulder near the bottom. The bar quivered at her touch, allowing her to pull it to the side like it had been made of butter. She was left with just enough room to slip past. Once she had moved the bar back in place, she began the swim to the surface. Her lungs were burning, and the light looked entirely too far away, but she steeled herself against the pain and pushed upwards.

On and on Zelda swam, until finally her head broke free of the water. She gasped for breath, and slowly the pain in her chest subsided. She was now floating down a rapidly darkening tunnel.

_Too late to go back._

The more she thought about it, the more trouble Zelda realized she was in. The return journey would have to be made by a different route, due to the fact that she couldn't swim upriver from Hyrule to the grates. Furthermore, traveling on foot would take at least two days, by which time Link would likely be back and in a full frenzy. Nobody knew where she had gone, which would put him into even more of a panic.

_Dear Nayru, what have I gotten myself into?_

There was also the high risk of being caught. She knew how to get out of the castle without being seen, and even sneaking out of Castle Town wouldn't be overly difficult. But if Zelda were to be caught inside the castle, Marcus would have a field day. She would probably be publicly executed in the cruelest manner the twisted tyrant could think of.

Zelda wasn't defenseless, though. She had her magic, which she had recently refrained from using. It was entirely too destructive to be used in controlled settings. She had spent most of her life training in the magical arts, but the past few years had seen a vast improvement in her abilities. She had begun to move out to Hyrule Field and even Snowpeak to practice because of the collateral damage her spells caused. She was fairly confident that she could control the spells now, but decided to only use magic in an absolute emergency.

The river dropped, picking up the pace as it neared Hyrule Castle. Any moment now, it would flow into the lowest dungeon, where it would be magically filtered of any impurities and then released into the sewer system of Castle Town. After that, it would rejoin a larger river that flowed past Kakariko and into Faron.

The first mark of the dungeons was the smell. They never seemed to be rid of the must, mold, and mildew, no matter how thoroughly they were cleansed. The moisture of the river certainly didn't help.

Eventually, a small light appeared at the end of the tunnel. This was, no doubt, the torchlight from the lowest level of the castle. There would be no one in the room, as it hardly needed guarding. To the vast majority of the country, this place was impossible to break into.

Zelda swam to the edge of the river and grabbed a ledge as she floated into the large room. It had a few torches, but most of the room was pitch black. This place had always freaked Zelda out more than any other in the castle, but she knew that she would have to stick to the cover of darkness so as to not be seen.

Soaking wet, Zelda pulled herself out of the river and flitted out of reach of the torchlight. For a full minute, she stood in silence and listened over the sound of the gurgling current. The room yielded nothing to her ears, so she quietly padded over to the metal door. Fortunately, it looked as if the maids were keeping up with oiling the hinges despite the recent chaos.

Behind the door was a simple staircase, leading up to the overflow cells for those who committed some of the worst crimes. Currently, they didn't appear to be in use, as Hyrule had had a massive drop in crime and murder rates after the Twilight Invasion.

As she walked down the long hall that led to the next highest level, a croaking voice stopped her.

"Please help…"

Zelda turned on her heel and stared into the cells. Her previous assumption had been incorrect. There was one prisoner, locked in the last cell. He looked gaunt, and his body was covered in bruises and scratches. He wore only a pair of ripped pants. Something about the man's face struck Zelda as odd, though. The graying hair and blue eyes made her feel like she knew this prisoner. Tentatively, she took a few steps forward.

"Water…please…"

As she neared the prisoner, Zelda started in shock.

"General Rommel!" She whispered, ripping her canteen from her belt and pulling the stopper out. "Dear goddesses, why are you down here?"

The general took the canteen with shaking hands and drank as much as he could. After a long draw, he choked on some of the water and broke into a spasm of coughing. Zelda inspected the lock on the cell door, but shook her head in disgust. Whoever had put Rommel in there had welded the lock shut.

"Zelda?" Rommel finally choked out. He gripped the rails tightly as he tried to steady himself on his feet.

"Yes, Erwin. It's me." Zelda whispered, taking the aging man's hands. General Rommel was one of her most trusted generals, and had been in charge of the Royal Security Force. Because of that, he had been her personal guard during the days while she was at court, and during the evenings until after dinner. He had been there during the hardest parts of her days, and had patiently listened to her rant about the nobles in the court afterwards. When he felt the need, he would give her advice, which had been much appreciated. He was one of the most logical, steadfast men Zelda had ever met, and seeing him in such a state hurt her to no end.

"Why the hell…are you here…?" He asked accusingly, taking another swig of water.

"Good question." Zelda said, unable to think of an appropriate excuse. "If it makes you feel better, I'll be explaining that to Link when I get back. He might kill me himself."

"I should do it now." Rommel growled. He downed the rest of the water and handed the canteen back. He seemed to have found his voice, although it was still garbled. "I don't suppose you have superhuman strength to rip these bars apart, do you? They melted them together."

"I have other ways. Can you move?" Zelda asked.

"Very slowly. I'm only going to hold you back once you get me out of here. I've been here for a week, I think, and that's the only water I've had since then. Do you have any food?"

Zelda reached into one of the pouches that she had magically sealed from the water. From it, she produced a small pack of crackers. Rommel took them and devoured them hungrily.

"Goddesses, I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good in my life." He grunted, leaning forward onto the bars. "Not even those fabulous dinners the cook made every night."

Zelda looked closely at the bars. There was simply no way out for Rommel.

_Unless I use magic. _

The answer became evident quickly. If the lock had been melted shut, she would have to use the same tactics to get her friend out. Zelda placed her hands on the hinges of the door and focused her thoughts into the metal. She put aside all of the thoughts of the things that could go wrong with using magic in a controlled environment. Instead, she thought only about what she needed to do.

Slowly, the hinges on the door turned red, and then white. Finally, they cracked and disintegrated under the massive heat.

"Someone's been practicing." Rommel said as the door fell outwards. Zelda caught it and quietly laid it on the ground.

"Come on." She said, taking the general's hand and leading him out of the cell. "Let's get out of here."

"No!" Rommel said. "There's a room upstairs that about thirty people were locked in yesterday. I heard some of the guards talking about it. There's five mages in there, too. We need to go get them."

"That's the prison." Zelda said. "We'll be caught."

"This room is before the prison. It won't be guarded. I think they put magically enhanced steel bars on the door, though." Rommel said.

"I'll figure it out, then. Having those mages could be vital to defeating Marcus." Zelda said. She helped Rommel across the room and stopped at the door.

"There's a staircase on the other side of the door. It leads up into the prison, and that room I'm talking about is immediately to the right of the top of the stairs." Erwin said, taking a second to lean on the wall. "If we get in a fight, I'm useless. You need to get those guys out of that room before we get caught. I'm assuming you want to get out of here after that?"

Zelda nodded.

"There's a passage on the other end of the prison underneath a fireplace. If you're feeling daring, we can storm through, release the locked up soldiers, and get to that tunnel. It leads under Castle Town and north into Hyrule Field." Rommel said, standing up and bracing himself.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Zelda replied, drawing her sword.

Erwin pushed the door open and stepped through. They ascended the stairs quietly, so that the prison guards didn't hear them.

"'Oy, private!" A voice called out from the top. "I wanna 'ave a lil' fun. 'et me dat 'n down t'ere."

"Sir, this prisoner was already beaten earlier. He'll probably die if you get at him."

"'id I ask fer yer at'tude shi' hea'?"

"No, sir. I'll bring him right out."

There was a clanking of keys, and Zelda heard a door open.

"Come on, they're distracted." Rommel whispered, peeking over the top stair. Zelda crept up to the top and slipped to the right. The guards inside the prison had all gathered around a single prisoner, and were busy taunting him. The sight made Zelda's blood boil, but she kept her temper in check. The soldier being taunted was serving a greater purpose in giving the others a chance to live, though he didn't know it.

The bars covering the nearby door were certainly enhanced. They glowed purple in the dim torchlight. The enchantment was a classic magic barrier. It prevented the mages inside from blowing the door to pieces.

"I have good news and I have bad news." Zelda said quietly, looking to Rommel. "The bad news is that these mercenaries have a mage. The good news is that he's an idiot. He only enchanted this magic ward to work from the inside, so I can simply melt the bars off."

"Be quiet about it." Rommel replied, still whispering. The beaten soldier groaned in the prison, and the pair heard a sickening cracking noise.

Zelda turned and placed her hands on one of the bars. In much the same fashion as the cell door downstairs, it glowed white hot and cracked, separating from the metal frame. As the man in the prison was continually beaten, she removed bar after bar, until all seven had been torn off.

"Let's go." She whispered, touching her hand to the doorknob and melting it in a matter of seconds. The occupied mercenaries heard nothing.

Rommel pushed the door open and led the way inside. Gathered near the back of the room were at least thirty men and women. Most were soldiers, others were dressed as servants, and five had mage's robes on. They were all staring at the door in abject terror.

There was silence as Zelda shut the door behind herself. She put a finger to lips, hoping that they would remain quiet.

"How long have you all been in here?" She asked one of the women, who was still dressed in a dirty servant's uniform.

"Two days." The woman squeaked quietly. "Princess Zelda, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me." Zelda replied, and then turned to the soldiers and mages. "The mercenaries guarding the prison are beating one of your comrades, and are also standing between us and the exit. Are you all prepared to fight your way out? You'll have to recover weapons as we go. It's the only way."

Zelda's presence in the room seemed to make all of the prisoners forget about how hungry or thirsty they were. The soldiers had a steely glint in their eyes, and signaled their readiness. The mages moved up next to the door, intending to go out first, as they didn't need weapons to fight.

_This has to be the most reckless, spontaneous thing I've ever done. _Zelda thought to herself. She pulled out every knife she had and tossed them to the soldiers.

"Let's go." She said, opening the door. The mercenaries were still toying with the Hylian soldier in the prison, and had their backs turned to the staircase and various rooms behind them.

The mages burst from the door like a pack of wolves and began raining fire on the ragtag group of mercenaries. The soldiers weren't far behind, setting on the prison guards with a furious war cry. Zelda and Rommel stayed behind the mages, knowing that they would only get in the way in this situation.

As the last mercenary fell, cheering broke out from the soldiers locked in the cells.

"Come on." Rommel said, kneeling next to one of the dead mercenaries and pulling a key ring from his belt. "Let's release these prisoners."

Zelda found another key ring on a nearby table, and one of the mages started opening doors with her magic. Within minutes, they had released over a hundred prisoners from all thirty cells.

"They were deserters." Erwin explained as he walked to the far side of the prison hallway. The soldiers and other castle workers, though weak and hungry, were doing their best to keep up and stay quiet. Four men had picked up the beaten soldier and were carrying him on their backs. He looked as if he had been brought within an inch of death.

"What happened to him?" Zelda asked one of the soldiers while Rommel fiddled with the fire pit.

"He was my captain, your majesty." The soldier said, looking slightly downcast. "The mercenaries came to take his family even though he hadn't attempted desertion. He was home when they did it. He fought back and killed eight of them, so they slit his wife's throat in front of him, and then beheaded all three of his kids."

Zelda's eyes went wide, and she looked back at the injured captain. Even in his unconscious state, she could tell that he had given up. To see such a thing happen to his family must have broken him.

"That's…horrible." Zelda sighed, shaking her head. "Thank you for telling me. I'll be sure to do all I can for him."

The soldier nodded, and Erwin stepped back from the pit.

"It's this handle right here." He said, motioning at a small metal bar that had been exposed. "I'm too weak to open this, though."

Zelda leaned down, grabbed the handle, and heaved. The cellar-style door was certainly heavy, but with some help from the surrounding soldiers, she managed to lift it up. Beneath it, an old, rickety staircase stood. It was obvious that this passage hadn't been used in many years.

"It was built in case a royal family member were ever pinned in the dungeon by attacking forces." Rommel explained, and then took a tentative step down into the darkness. One of the mages ran forward and conjured a light.

"I'll go in the back." Zelda said. Erwin nodded and stepped down the stairs with the magician.

"We need to hurry." Zelda called out to the released prisoners. "If any of you are thinking of staying behind to help your families, I promise that you'll do more good than you would by coming with us. If we're to defeat Marcus, we must be organized. Lone wolves will do nothing beneficial in this war."

A silent agreement went through the crowd, and they began to file slowly down the stairs. One by one, they dropped into the darkness, with the five mages doing all they could to light the way. Zelda stood by the door, patting a few of the more haggard looking soldiers on the back as they passed. She took the hand of the injured captain as he was carried past and gave it a squeeze. He looked to be on the verge of death.

The last few people stopped to help Zelda pull the door back over the entrance. It slammed loudly above them, but it didn't matter. By the time the mercenaries found the secret tunnel, they would be too late. The only concern Zelda had was for the prisoners on the journey back to Zora's Domain. The soldiers had recovered the prison guards' weapons, as well as other items such as broken bottles or old iron bars, but wouldn't stand a chance against mounted mercenaries. They were also weak from imprisonment, and would likely have to travel slowly. Water would be available in the river, but food was hard to come by in Hyrule Field.

Zelda sighed and decided to leave those worries to the goddesses. She could hunt after dark and possibly score a deer or two to help feed the starving soldiers. She would have to trust on luck with the mercenaries, though. If they were found, they would have to be close enough to Zora's Domain that the Zora guards could help.

_Otherwise… _Zelda shuddered at the thought.

As they moved down the dark tunnel, she continually tripped on various stone outcroppings. The pathway was extremely old, and had enormous roots growing through it at some points. The journey was rough, and many of the soldiers had to stop and rest at various points. Zelda made sure to stay with the last person in the line at all times. It wouldn't do to leave someone behind because they were too weak.

Once the former servant she had been standing next to was able to walk, Zelda caught up with the back of the group. They had been walking the path for over three hours with nothing but the footsteps of their companions to keep them company, and many were beginning to lose their determination to escape. Many probably had families at home, and were afraid of what would happen to them when Marcus learned of their escape.

More than likely, Marcus had already heard of their escape. According to the prisoners, the guard shifts in the prison had changed every four hours, and had been close to time when Zelda had rescued them. Search parties would be combing Castle Town and moving through Hyrule Field. If they were searching the northern section of the field, the prisoners would have to be held in the tunnel for up to a day. They wouldn't be happy about it, but it would be necessary.

"Zelda!" Rommel called from the front of the line. "I need you up here."

She looked around and, seeing nobody lagging behind, began jogging up the side of the column. When she reached the front, Rommel had stopped.

"This is it." He said, pointing to a wall illuminated by a magician's magic. It blocked the progress of the tunnel.

"What do you mean? This is a dead end or something?" Zelda asked.

"Of course not." Erwin replied, stepping up to the wall. "Three up and two across."

He tapped the correct brick and, like magic, the wall folded in on itself. Bright sunlight poured into the dark tunnel, making many of the prisoners shield their eyes. It was the first hint of sunlight that they had seen in weeks.

Zelda smiled and took a step outside. The bright sunlight felt good on her damp clothing, and the warmth was a welcome change from the chilly underground. She looked around. They had emerged in the northern section of Hyrule Field, as expected. Zora's Domain was behind the cliffs to the north, which looked quite a bit closer than Zelda had thought they would be. A quick glance around told her that the search parties had not yet come to this section of the fields.

"It's safe." She called back to Rommel. There was a collective sigh of relief from inside the tunnel, and the prisoners began filing out. Within minutes, they were all basking in the sunlight.

"Take a moment to rest." Zelda called out to them. "And then we're going to travel to Zora's Domain. I estimate that it's a day and a half away, and we need to move quickly if we're to be safe."

She turned around and stared up at Zora's Domain.

"Just a day and a half." She whispered. "Please don't hate me, Link."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9 got a great reception! Thank you to all of my readers for that. I've definitely been busy with school, but I'm trying my best to get new chapters out. Honest to god, I had no idea that Erwin Rommel was in Call of Duty. I just remembered him from history books and he has a pretty badass name, so I recycled it.**

**On another happy note, I turned 20! And it's just as uneventful as turning 19… **

**I got a question about how long this story is going to be. After you read this chapter, it's going to seem like the beginning of the end. It is NOT. There are still a whole lot of things I want to do with this.**

**Finally, I have a question for my readers that I'd like you all to answer in a review. Do you like it when I write from Link or Zelda's perspective? Many of you have probably noticed that the focus switches from one to the other quite often, and I opted for skipping out on what Link was doing in the last chapter to focus on Zelda's point of view. Tell me what you think.**

Chapter 10

As Marcus Brutus sat on the throne of Hyrule, he looked around the throne room. The court was nearly empty, save for thirteen of the original councilors besides himself. The room had been stripped of all the bright Hylian banners and replaced with black hangings. Marcus aimed to stamp out all remnants of Hyrule from the history of the country.

Some called him a tyrant. A select few had called him a savior.

_A savior. _He thought to himself, scratching his chin as he peered at his loyal councilors. He certainly liked to think of himself as a savior, as a hero. The people of Hyrule just hadn't seen it yet, and he had to take extreme measures to show them.

The Blackhawk mercenaries were just a temporary fix. The ragtag force could hardly put a scratch on Hyrule's well-equipped and well-trained military, but it would hold until the officers got their men in check. Kidnapping their families had been a contingency plan to keep them controlled. Many of the soldiers had quit deserting for fear of what would happen to their wives and children. Even the enlisted soldiers seemed to be settling down due to the fact that their officers would be executed if even a single one deserted.

Order. That was what Brutus wanted above all else. Hyrule was a disorderly place, full of chaos and mayhem. The citizens of the country had become accustomed to their freedoms under Princess Zelda, and most had taken advantage of the system.

The system was changing, though. Marcus was tired of the corruption he saw within the people of Hyrule and Zelda herself. She had ruled as if she weren't a ruler at all. The people had had no leadership. Instead, they were left with a council that couldn't get anything done because of the failures of its executive.

Brutus clenched his fists at the thought of Zelda.

_That arrogant bitch couldn't even come back and face her own failures. She couldn't face the truth, and ran off with that pathetic bodyguard._

"Your majesty." One of the councilors called. Marcus looked up to see Councilor Iscariot standing near the back door.

"What is it, Judas?" He asked, completely disinterested with whatever the man had to say. The man was having too many regrets and acted as if he might run in the near future.

"The captain of the mercenaries you assigned to the prison has arrived." Iscariot said. "He says it's urgent."

Marcus squinted at the councilor, his curiosity piqued. The mercenaries had a habit of running wild and disregarding many of the orders they were given. Their officers avoided the throne room at all costs unless they were owed money, in which case they always came in large groups. The only ones that were ever in the room consistently were the two personal bodyguards, who did the job unwillingly.

"Send him in." Marcus grunted, feigning disinterest.

Councilor Iscariot opened the door and an officer with a red eagle on his shoulder marched in. The soldier was bristling with anger, and walked straight up to Marcus's throne. He didn't bother bowing.

"You told me that there was only one entrance to the prison!" The officer yelled.

"You will show respect to the King of our country!" Councilor Iscariot yelled. Marcus stared the mercenary down.

"You would do well to remember who pays your salary, _captain." _Brutus sneered, sitting slightly higher on his throne. This had a very good chance of getting out of hand, and the guards on either side of him would hardly do anything against one of their own.

The captain turned a deep shade of purple, but wisely bit his tongue.

"Furthermore, I don't have to explain myself to you." Marcus continued. "I pay you to kill anyone who is a threat to the welfare of this country, and so far you have miserably failed. Now, what is the reason for your rude intrusion on my council session?"

The captain sighed, still clenching his fists in rage. "My men were ambushed and murdered. The keys to the cells were taken and every single prisoner released, as well as the former general you ordered to be locked in the lower cells. They disappeared without a trace. Their footprints in the dust simply disappeared like they vanished."

Marcus stared at the captain for a moment while he absorbed the information.

"When…?"

"Yesterday morning." The captain replied.

"Yesterday _morning_?!" Marcus stood up, enraged. "And you just now saw fit to tell me this?! It's been over a day! Don't you think that I should be the first to know about this?"

The captain's hand hovered instinctively over his sword, and he took a few steps back.

"We were trying to figure out what happened first." He said defensively. "When over a hundred prisoners disappear and we find ten of our brothers dead-"

"_YOU'RE ALL FIRED! GET OUT!_" Marcus screamed, drawing his sword. The captain backpedaled furiously, and the mercenaries next to the throne balked for a second.

"Hold on a minute-" The captain stammered, but Brutus didn't give him a chance to speak as he turned and stabbed one of his guards straight through the chest. The mercenary on the other side of the throne yelled and whipped his spear around, but Marcus was faster. In seconds, both men were lying on the floor, breathing their final breaths.

"You…" Brutus growled, turning on the terrified captain. Councilor Iscariot stood in the back of the room in complete shock, and a few of the remaining Hylian soldiers had come in to see what the chaos was about.

"Stay away from me!" The captain yelped, turning and sprinting for the door.

"Stop him!" Brutus yelled to Councilor Iscariot. Judas drew his sword, but was too late. The captain shoved him out of the way and fled the room.

For a solid minute, there was complete silence in the throne room as Brutus seethed. Finally, his face turned back to its normal color, and he put his sword away.

"You there!" He shouted at one of the growing number of Hylian soldiers in the room. "Go get Colonel Granger and tell him what happened here."

The soldier ran from the room, looking moderately relieved to be leaving, and Brutus turned to the rest of the soldiers.

"The Blackhawks will have three hours to get on the road to the west. From then on, I expect all of you to execute each and every one of their members that remain in the city. They are no longer welcome here."

Councilor Iscariot stepped up next to Brutus from behind.

"Marcus, we don't have another fighting force." He whispered. "Over a third of the military deserted, and another third is unwilling to follow any orders that you issue. That leaves enough to guard the castle and nothing more."

"Well in that case, I'm extending guard shift hours and implementing a draft." Marcus replied casually. Not one of the Hylian soldiers dared to groan or show any kind of displeasure at the statement. Their eyes, however, told of their feelings. A draft hadn't been implemented since the years following the Hero of Time's return to Hyrule as a child, in order to have the numbers to defeat Ganondorf and his army of Gerudo. Despite the King of Evil not having the Triforce of Power in that war, it had still caused massive casualties for the Hylians, and nearly decimated the Gerudo race. Because of that war, the Hylian people had developed a deep mistrust of the draft.

"Are…are you sure you want to be doing this?" Judas asked quietly, his voice breaking slightly.

"I don't need you questioning me." Marcus barked. "Now everyone, get back to doing something! This castle isn't going to guard itself. Iscariot, make sure that the Blackhawks get out of my city and go get that draft started. I want new privates training tomorrow morning on the grounds."

The soldiers in the room scrambled, and Judas hastily left through a back door. Marcus stared at the throne, but decided that he had been sitting on it long enough for the day. When the room had cleared, he walked through a side door that led to the gardens. Zelda had spent many years of her life in this part of the castle. Whether she was relaxing, flirting with one of the visiting princes, or contemplating something, she had always come to the walled, colorful fortress. When the castle had been rebuilt, she had spent excessive amounts of time planning the new garden, and it was even more beautiful for it.

Hidden within the garden was a small niche. To the naked eye, it was nothing more than a dark crevice behind the elaborate flowers. Those who knew the truth, however, could unlock the surprise hidden within. Zelda had built herself a private spot in which she would sit for hours. It was the only solitude she was ever offered, and had been one of her closely guarded secrets. Marcus had only known of the spot because he had stolen the blueprints of the castle after it was rebuilt. It served the same purpose for him as it had the past ruler of Hyrule, offering seclusion in a world full of turmoil.

With a quick push, he made it into the hiding spot. Even without the gardener's constant upkeep, the place was still blooming in full color. The walls surrounded a cushioned bench, and closed in the space about the size of the former queen's bedroom. The blue sky was the only thing visible on the outside. Marcus sat on the bench and put his head into his hands.

_What have I gotten myself into? _He wondered, massaging the bridge of his nose and scraping off the dried blood of one of the mercenaries he had just killed. A headache had sprung up almost immediately after the excitement had ended.

The country was in ruins. That fact was painfully obvious. The Hyrule he had dreamed of having simply wasn't working out, and couldn't be forced into submission. Its people were too strong and too willing to lash out at an overreaching government. They were used to Princess Zelda's laissez faire style of regulations and laws. She had seen it unfit to impose harsh sanctions on the violent and uncontrollable population, saying instead that they were fit to take care of themselves without the government intervening unless absolutely necessary.

_She was wrong. These people have been dropped into poverty, thrown into war, and treated like dirt. And still they are loyal to Zelda. Why?_

Marcus searched his brain for an answer and, in finding none, lay back on the bench. His headache was getting worse.

_What is the missing link? Why have I been ineffective so far?_

For a few minutes, he pondered the question. Nothing seemed to make sense. There was no explanation for why the people wouldn't rally behind him aside from attachment to Zelda.

A raindrop splattered on the councilor's face, causing him to jump slightly. A few seconds later, he snorted and relaxed again. Another raindrop came down, and then a third. Soon, a loud crack of thunder shook the walls of the secret garden. Marcus jumped from the bench and looked up at the sky. The crystal clear blue had been replaced with black and green clouds in less then five minutes.

_How the hell…_

"You crave something more."

The warm air suddenly seemed much colder, and Marcus felt a chill run down his spine. The steely voice had come from behind him, but fear rooted him to the ground. He couldn't bring himself to turn around or speak.

"Your people reject you. They seek to throw you from the throne you justly won, and replace you with the old ruler. Is this true?"

Marcus found himself shaking slightly.

"Turn around, Brutus."

As if on their own, Marcus's feet forced him around. By the entrance to the secret garden stood a hooded and cloaked man. Nothing about his features could be determined underneath the dark shadows cast by the storm, and his face was perfectly concealed by his hood.

"You want to know why you have been ineffective so far, yes?"

Marcus nodded ever so slightly, hardly noticing the action through his sheer terror of the man standing before him.

"Yet you lack the power to do anything. You have no resources. You have no military. Even now, the Princess and the Hero of Twilight are gathering forces. You will be overthrown in a matter of minutes when they return. The remaining Hylian soldiers will never fight for you."

Silence fell between the two men. The cloaked man walked slowly around the garden as the rain began to fall harder. He ran his hand along the stone wall, leaving a glowing blue line pulsing where his finger had touched.

_He has magic. _Marcus thought, nearly retching as waves of panic rolled over him. If this man wanted to kill him, he could likely do so very easily.

But he hadn't killed him yet, which was a good sign.

"Who…W-who are you?"

The magician stopped and scratched his chin thoughtfully before completely ignoring the question.

"I have in my possession the means to stopping Princess Zelda from reclaiming Hyrule. It is an item I am willing to give you, in return for certain favors."

Marcus's eyes went wide.

_An item that can stop Zelda? How can an item stop an army? Who does this man think he is?_

"What kind of item is this?" He asked quietly, pushing reason to the backburner.

"A simple staff." The mage said, turning to face the councilor. "At least, it's simple in appearance. You'll find that it holds many powers that are quite a bit less…simple."

"Like what?"

"I will tell you no more. You must find the powers of this staff on your own, should you so desire to use it. I can assure you, however, that it is your only chance to control this country. You will fail without it."

Marcus scowled, but didn't dare tell the magician to leave. The man radiated an aura of deadly power. A few moments passed while he pondered what was being said.

"Then what must I do to earn these powers?" He asked, his confidence returning with every second he remained alive.

"It's very simple." The mage replied, returning to his pacing. "Hold a public execution of the remaining councilors. You will discover this staff's powers immediately after the axe falls on the last. From then on, you will have no need of mercenaries or petty soldiers. You will control a force of unstoppable power."

Again, Marcus paused to think. This didn't seem right, but the idea of having power appealed to him. It was the one thing he lacked, and no amount of bullying and threatening had worked.

"Yes, you want power, don't you?" The mage asked. "That is what this staff will provide. That is what you will have. That is what you have been missing this entire time."

"Who are you?" Brutus demanded shakily, his nerves going wild again. He was moderately sure that the magician was reading his mind.

"That is of no concern to you. I offer you the means to controlling Hyrule and its people. Through this staff lies your only hope of defeating Princess Zelda. Do you accept its power?"

Marcus clenched his fists in anger, but bit his tongue. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance if Zelda returned with a fighting force. His perfectly orchestrated assassination attempt had failed. None of the mercenaries had even gotten close to the princess. And, worst of all, the seeds of rebellion had been growing within the general population. The people didn't want him on the throne, and he wouldn't be remaining there long if the military wasn't on his side. His stunt earlier that day certainly wouldn't sit well with those who remained.

And, pushing away all moral bounds and common sense, Marcus made his decision.

"Let me have it."

The magician nodded satisfactorily and clapped once. A twisted oak staff sprang from the air and landed in his hand. It was knotted at the top, but otherwise had no defining features.

"Take it from me."

Marcus tentatively stepped towards the magician and held his hand out.

"Take it yourself."

Forcing himself to be courageous, Brutus reached out and gripped the smooth wooden handle of the staff, expecting a rush of energy. There was nothing. It felt just like a regular walking stick. With a little disappointment, he took the staff and examined it closely. Even in his stands, the staff still looked inconspicuous.

Abruptly, the rain stopped, and the sun broke through the rapidly dissipating clouds. Marcus looked around the cove, and realized with very little surprise that the magician had disappeared.

A few moments passed and, after making sure that the staff was real, Councilor Brutus grunted and pushed himself out of the secret garden.

_It's time to schedule an execution. _

**BREAK**

The trip to Zora's Domain was uneventful, but Zelda was chewing her fingernails the entire time. By the time the ragtag group had reached the northern reaches of Hyrule Field, she was sweating with pure, unbridled anxiety.

"You need to calm down." Erwin said for perhaps the tenth time. "Personally, I would be impressed with your courage. Link probably won't even yell at you. Surely he understands the concepts of duty and courage."

"He _won't _yell at me, which makes me even more terrified. He'll just be vastly disappointed in me for putting my life in danger." Zelda replied. The tunnel leading to Zora's Domain was visible less than a mile ahead on the mountain trail. Link would likely be pacing the throne room right now, chewing Ralis a new asshole for letting her slip by like she did.

"Oh, so he's the quiet type?" Rommel joked. "Why do you care so much, anyways? Since when did someone's opinion affect you this much?"

Zelda didn't reply.

"Oh, I see…" Erwin muttered awkwardly. "Is there something between you two?"

Zelda sighed and turned slightly red. Although Erwin had been like a father to her, this conversation was still awkward. She had never liked discussing her emotions.

"You could say that." She said after a few moments.

"Well, have you talked to him about how you feel?" Erwin asked.

"Not really. I guess it's sort of implied." Zelda said.

Erwin was quiet for a few moments, but smiled to himself.

"What?" Zelda asked defensively, looking around to make sure nobody was listening to their conversation. She didn't want wild rumors spreading around once the prisoners made it back to Zora's Domain.

"Oh, nothing." Erwin said, grinning ever wider.

"No. You're not doing this to me." Zelda said. "What is it? Is there something funny about me having feelings for Link? Last I checked, I'm an adult. Just because I'm a ruler doesn't mean-"

"Calm down, Zelda." Erwin said, cutting off her tirade. "There's nothing funny about it. I'm happy for you. You deserve a man like that. He's nothing like those inbred princes that used to come to Hyrule every few months hoping to get under your dress."

Zelda's ears turned dark red and she looked down at her saddle.

"Seriously. Link is a true man, and a hero. I would expect no less for you." Erwin said, patting her shoulder.

"We'll see how it goes. Everything is a little chaotic right now, and there's certainly nothing set in stone between him and I. I guess I _do _need to talk to him about this eventually." Zelda muttered, sighing inwardly. Even the thought of telling Link about her feelings for him made her stomach churn. She would rather face an angry Marcus Brutus armed with only a twig than open her heart up like that. It had been ingrained in her from childhood to hide her feelings and emotions. Spilling them to Link would go against years of habit and training.

"Just do it before either of you sees combat again." Erwin said. "That way if something goes wrong, you at least told him. That's what I did with my wife way back in the day, and it worked like a charm. Something about watching me leave for war I guess."

Zelda cringed at the thought of having to tell Link anything about her feelings right before they went into battle. Chances were he would never let her into battle again after what had happened in Hyrule Field, which meant that she would not be participating in any battle to take back the castle. Not being able to help Link seemed like the worst kind of torture possible.

Her thoughts were cut short as the group began filing into the tunnel leading to Zora's Domain. The Zora guards stepped aside without a second thought at the sight of the princess, and soon they all found themselves on the top level of the Domain. The throne room was to the right, with the massive waterfall off to the left.

"Princess Zelda!"

Erwin and Zelda both turned to see a light-skinned Zora messenger running towards them.

"King Ralis would speak to you immediately!" He said, bowing. "He has been very worried about your safety ever since you disappeared. Master Link…well, you'd better speak to the king."

"What about Link?" Zelda asked tentatively.

"Follow me, if you will." The messenger said, ignoring the question. It was obvious from his tone that he didn't want to discuss the matter, and knew that it wasn't his place to do so.

"I'll stay with these people." Erwin said as Zelda turned to him. She nodded and walked up next to the messenger, who set off at a fast walk towards the nearby throne room.

The throne room was slightly less chaotic than it had been a few days ago, but not by much. Justin was standing in the shadows near the side, sharpening his knives absentmindedly, and a group of advisors was debating in another corner. Much to Zelda's surprise, Link was absent. A small feeling of anxiety began building in her gut, but she forced it down.

Ralis beckoned her to where he stood by his throne, and quickly dismissed General Tulane.

_If General Tulane is back, then that means they were successful. They got the Zora prisoners back safely. _Zelda thought, trying to reassure herself. The feeling of dread didn't go away, though.

"Zelda!" Ralis exclaimed when she got closer. "Where on earth did you go?"

"Recon." Zelda replied. "I broke into Hyrule Castle and opened up the dungeons. I currently have well over a hundred former soldiers, magicians, and servants that are going to need care. In return, they will protect the Domain when they are in full health. I'm sorry for disappearing, but I knew you would have me under lock and key if you thought I had even dreamt of doing something so reckless."

"That's not far from the truth." Ralis admitted, but quieted slightly and looked down at his feet as he continued. "Look, I won't beat around the bush. You deserve to know what happened."

"What…what do you mean?" Zelda stammered. Chills began running down her spine.

Ralis sighed. "The mission was successful, and we saved every captured Zora. Unfortunately, that came with a price. One of the mercenaries shot an arrow at General Tulane, and Link stepped in front of it. We don't know if he did it on purpose or not, but he managed to deflect it with his sword, and it hit him in the gut. Had he not, it would have hit him in the chest and killed him on the spot."

Zelda turned a solid shade of white, but Ralis continued before she could say anything.

"He's alive, but he's been having to fight. Even our best potions can only do so much."

Zelda stood stock-still, trying to absorb the information she had just been given. It seemed unbelievable. To her, Link had always been infallible and immortal. He had never been visibly wounded in battle, and always seemed to be on his toes. How an arrow had managed to find him was beyond her.

"Take me to him." She said finally, and Ralis shook his head.

"No. It would only cause you pain to see him right now, and he needs his rest for a full-"

"I don't remember asking you a question." Zelda cut in, making herself very clear. "And I certainly didn't need a medical opinion or your thoughts on what I should do. Take me to him."

Ralis looked alarmed for a moment, but sighed and beckoned to a guard.

"Take the princess to Master Link, please." He muttered, and then turned and walked back to his throne.

"This way, please." The guard said cautiously. Zelda followed him out of the throne room and down to the medical ward. The walk felt like an eternity, and her mind raced the entire time.

_He could die. Oh my goddesses, Link could die. _She thought. _What will I do without him? There's no way I can…_

_No. Calm down, Zelda. Ralis said he's fighting. Link always pulls through._

_How can he pull through massive internal bleeding? How can he pull through if his intestines have an arrow stuck in them?_

Zelda pushed the nagging voice from her mind momentarily as she walked through the medical ward's door. The entire inside was lit with candles due to the dimming evening light, Only three beds were filled, all three of which had curtains surrounding them.

"He's the last one on the left." The guard said before excusing himself.

Zelda approached the last bad tentatively. Her hands were shaking, and her knees were about to buckle, but she managed to quietly slip behind the thick curtain.

"_Ignis._" She whispered, pointing at the unlit candle on the nightstand. It flared up, illuminating Link where he lay on the bed. He looked like he had been to hell and back. His entire torso was covered in fresh bandages, and at least ten empty potion bottles had been tossed to his side. His face showed Zelda all she needed to see. It was contorted in pain, and drained of color. He groaned slightly, but otherwise didn't react to the light.

Zelda sat down in the chair beside him and sighed. Link was obviously alive, and that was certainly a better situation than what her mind had brewed up. For a few minutes, she sat next to him and stared at the inch-thick bandages.

The curtain slid open quietly, and a small Zora female peered in curiously.

"Oh, Princess Zelda!" She exclaimed quietly, clutching her clipboard. "I saw the light and decided to check what was going on. I'm Doctor Lillian, the head surgeon for the Zoras."

"Head surgeon?" Zelda asked. "Link had surgery?"

"Naturally." Lillian said, stepping inside the curtain. "The arrow that went through him was small, built for speed. Luckily he was wearing a thick cloak with leather on the inside. Otherwise it would have gone right through him. I extracted the arrow and shaft, and then sutured the severed intestines with gold wire. That was yesterday. The bleeding has stopped, and I've been giving him potions nonstop since then."

"He's been awake?"

Lillian nodded. "He's been in and out of consciousness."

Zelda looked back to Link's bandages. The bruising from the entrance wound had spread all the way to his chest, and it looked like it hurt for him to breathe.

"Will he be okay?"

Lillian looked at Link curiously. "I've never seen anyone like him. Based on the amount of blood that he lost before he got here, he should have been dead. All logic says that even if he hadn't died of a hemorrhage, he would have developed an infection. On top of that, the arrowhead was poisoned with one of the most deadly venoms I've ever run across. The traces left on the embedded head mustered enough toxin to kill eight separate test mice in less than ten seconds."

"It's probably best that you thank the goddesses now for whatever is keeping him alive. Link isn't going anywhere. He's made it this far. There's one more thing…"

The doctor walked to the other side of the bed and lifted up Link's right hand. On the back, the symbol of the Triforce was glowing faintly.

_The Triforce of Courage_

"I've seen this symbol a few times, but I don't know exactly what it is." Lillian said. "Whenever he starts breathing hard or showing that he's in extreme pain, this glows and he visibly heals."

"I know what it is." Zelda muttered. "Thank you, Lillian. But I think Link will be just fine from now on. I'll stay with him. Could you just bring some water every now and then?"

The doctor looked as if she had a thousand questions she needed answered, but wisely nodded and left quietly. Zelda pulled her chair up next to Link's bed and took his hand. At first, he didn't react. After a few minutes, however, the Triforce on the back of Zelda's hand glowed and, as if in response, Link's did as well.

"Link?" Zelda asked softly, curious to see if the reaction between the pieces of the Triforce had done anything.

He groaned and opened his eyes halfway to look over at her.

"Zelda…?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Oh crap." He muttered.

Zelda frowned. "What?"

"I didn't want you to see me like this." Link replied quietly, and then pulled the blankets up over himself.

"All I care about is that you're all right." Zelda murmured softly, scooting slightly closer to the bed. "It sounds like you took quite a hit."

"You could say that." Link said. "I've never felt anything so painful. That arrow hit and it began stinging. It was like fire after a couple minutes, and then I blacked out. Next thing I know, I get this warm feeling all over and the stinging stops."

"Look at your right hand." Zelda said.

Link frowned and took his hand from underneath the blankets. He gasped and stared at the sacred triangle.

"That's the warm feeling." Zelda said. "The arrowhead was poisoned, and the Triforce intervened to stop you from dying. There's something more in this world that you're destined for."

Link didn't respond, still staring intently at the softly glowing triangle.

"Courage." He whispered. "Is this what causes me to do some of the things I do? Does this triangle keep me safe during battle?"

"No." Zelda replied. "It came to you because of who you are. The courage was already there, and the Triforce of Courage simply helps you tap into it. And, in situations like this, it uses that power for other purposes. It's very rare that a piece of the Triforce will use its own power, although there is a vast amount of it if you know how to use it. Did you never realize that you had this power hiding in you?"

"No." Link admitted, finally looking away from his hand. "I don't even want that kind of power. No human should be granted power to defy death. Look at what happened to Ganondorf. He's been haunting the Hero of Time's lineage for thousands of years now, and each time he gets crazier. The power drove him insane."

"You aren't Ganondorf." Zelda said, shaking her head.

"It's the same concept. Ganondorf might have been a decent person at some point, up until he began wanting this kind of power. And then-"

"That was the problem." Zelda interrupted. "He wanted power, and that's what he got. And then he wanted more, so he tried to take the Triforce. He was stopped because the Hero of Time came back and warned the Sage of Time before the door to the Sacred Realm was opened. Nobody is entirely sure what happened, but Ganondorf managed to get his hands on the Triforce even though he was defeated in the subsequent war, and the power drove him absolutely insane. He worked for nearly a century for that power, and was denied it at the last moment."

"What's your point?" Link asked.

"You don't lust for power. You have no aspirations to be a king or ruler. You simply do what's right, no matter what the cost." Zelda said. "That's what separates you from Ganondorf. That's why holding this kind of sacred power within yourself will never harm you or turn you into a monster like Ganon. The best person to wield this kind of power is the one who doesn't want it."

"I've heard of the Triforce before." Link said. "Power, wisdom, and courage. If Ganondorf had the Triforce of Power, and I have the Triforce of Courage, it would only make sense if you have the Triforce of Wisdom. Rusl told me that throughout history, that's how it always works."

Zelda nodded and held up her left hand. There, imprinted on the back was what looked like a simple tattoo of the Triforce. However, upon further inspection Link noticed that the left triangle glowed almost imperceptibly.

"And I always thought that that was just a tattoo." Link whispered reverently. "All this time, Ganondorf wanted to kill us to take these, and he failed. For thousands of years, all he's done is fail."

"It's because the bearers of Courage and Wisdom have always worked together, going all the way back to the Hero of Time. My ancestor, the Sage of Time, held Ganon down while the Hero of Time, your ancestor, drove in the finishing blow."

"You think I'm descended from the Hero of Time?"

"I know you are." Zelda said, taking Link's hand again. "To bear the Triforce of Courage means that you are descended from the Hero himself."

"Whoa, hold on." Link said, sitting up with a quiet grunt. "You're descended from the Sage of Time? But didn't they… Does that mean we're distantly related?"

Zelda laughed. Of all the things Link could be concerned about, this was the minutest thing she could think of.

"I doubt it. The Hero of Time and Sage of Time were separated. The Hero left Hyrule and didn't come back for a full decade, by which time the Sage had married another man. It's rumored that there might have been an affair, but I have a reason to doubt the validity of such stories, one of which being that I have access to much more accurate records than the press."

"What I do know," Zelda continued, "Is that the Hero never truly died. He ventured back into the Forbidden Forest, as it was known, and the magic there turned him into an immortal Stalfos. The residual power of the Triforce allowed him to keep his mind and sanity so that he could aid his descendants for eternity. Based on what you told me, I believe that you've met him quite a few times to learn new sword techniques."

Link looked completely flabbergasted at the revelation.

"I had the Hero of Time teaching me sword techniques, and he never told me who he was?"

"For good reason. If you had been turned into a Stalfos, would you want your descendants recognizing who you were?" Zelda asked.

Link frowned slightly and didn't respond. Zelda waited, knowing that something pressing was weighing on his mind.

"He's the only blood relative I have left, I guess." He said finally. "My parents died when I was very young, and they left me to the villagers of Ordon, which makes me think that they didn't have any relatives left, either."

"Or simply that Rusl and Uli would take better care of you." Zelda added.

Dr. Lillian opened the curtain slightly, carrying two bottles of red chu jelly. Zelda took them and nodded her appreciation.

"Here, drink."

Link groaned, but took the potion and gulped it down. With a slight choking noise, he drained the last drops and dropped the bottle on top of the growing pile.

"That stuff is horrible." He complained, grimacing.

"Be a big boy and deal with it." Zelda said good-naturedly. "I take it that you're going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I think… What in Hylia's name have you been doing?" Link asked all of a sudden.

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked innocently, keeping a perfect poker face. It had only just occurred to her that Link would have no idea where she had been or have even known that she was gone.

"You look like you've been traveling." Link said. "And you're covered in dirt and mud. On top of that, you look exhausted. Weren't you here the whole time I was gone?"

"Oh, I went and did a little exploring." Zelda replied with a convincing smile. Link, however, was not convinced. He sat further up in his bed and took Zelda's hand.

"Did you leave the Domain?" He asked seriously.

_Just give it up, Zelda. You're busted. _

Zelda sighed and looked down at the ground.

"Please don't be mad at me, Link. I did what I thought was right."

Link peered at her, but didn't show any anger or disappointment.

"What happened?" He asked calmly.

Zelda told him everything that had happened in the past few days, leaving out nothing. Link deserved that much.

After she was done fessing up, she worked up the courage to meet Link's eyes, but still couldn't read his expression.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling more ashamed of her reckless actions than she thought she would have. "I should have thought about-"

"You have nothing to apologize for." Link said calmly. Zelda looked up at him again in surprise.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Of course not." He said with a genuine smile. "That takes courage, and you seem to have pulled it off perfectly. Now we've gained a general, some soldiers, and a handful of mages. On top of that, we probably have a wealth of information about regular castle activities and possibly Marcus himself. Consider me impressed."

Zelda felt a surge of relief at his words, only realizing then how much she had dreaded the disappointment she thought that she would receive.

"Why do you care, anyways?" Link asked, absentmindedly stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "I'm hardly in a position to discipline you for anything, much less something that ended up as a wild success. Besides, we all have to take risks in war. That's exactly what you did."

Zelda looked back at the ground.

_This is the point where you tell him how you feel and that's why what he thinks matters so much._

"Well, you know…" She stammered. Link looked at her curiously.

"I know what?"

"We're…well…you know…"

Link chuckled a little bit. "No, I'm afraid I don't know. Seriously, what is it?"

"Yeah, I guess, I mean, you know… We're good friends…and you're…um... I don't want you to be upset with me…"

Link squinted at Zelda as she turned increasingly darker shades of red.

"Are you okay, Zelda?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yes." Zelda said hastily, letting go of his hand and standing up. "I'll come back in the morning."

With that, she rushed out of the flap in the curtain and nearly sprinted from the medical ward.

Link looked at the spot where she had been sitting and over to the curtains.

"Was it something I said?" He wondered aloud.

**BREAK**

"Good friends. That's the best I could think of." Zelda muttered to herself, shaking her head as she went over her failed attempt to express her feelings.

She had been shown to her room by a guard, which happened to be just down the hall from Ralis. Even though Zora's Domain was packed, the king had made sure to get her a room to herself.

_I'm still treated like royalty. _She thought, slightly depressed at the revelation as she flopped down on the soft mattress. Even the comfort and warmth of a bed couldn't quell the raging storm inside her. Her failure to open up to Link had hurt more than she had anticipated.

"Zelda?"

She sat up, looking in the doorway. Ralis had poked his head in.

"What is it, Ralis?" Zelda asked, trying to sound interested.

"Do you mind if I come in for a moment?"

"It looks like you already have." She replied. Ralis frowned slightly, but brushed the sarcasm off and came through the door.

"I just wanted to let you know that I've decided to officially join you in the battle against Marcus." Ralis said, cutting straight to the chase. "After hearing what the survivors of the lake attack said, as well as the testimony of your soldiers that arrived earlier, I realize now that something must be done. Your men may be better suited to fighting, but you can be assured that all the waterways of Hyrule will now be closed to his troops."

Zelda sat up, not having to feign interest anymore.

"Just like that?" She asked. "I don't have to beg or offer you anything?"

"Link saved the entire Zora race at one point. Consider this my thanks." Ralis said with a smile. "We'll begin assaulting supply trains crossing rivers within the next few days. Those supplies will be brought here to feed your soldiers, since we've got about four hundred arriving daily."

_Four hundred every day? _Zelda thought with amazement.

"How many have shown up in total?" She asked.

"Over a thousand. They flooded in while you were gone." Ralis replied. "Most of them are camping on the river or doing volunteer guard duty, which I appreciate. I've met a colonel and lieutenant of yours over the past few days, and your general you brought back from the castle has gone down there to help."

"I had no idea so many would show up." Zelda admitted. "We were only able to find about five hundred men on our way back from the wild goose chase we were on in Eastern Hyrule."

Ralis nodded and turned to go, but stopped at the door.

"You'll also be happy to hear that massive groups of the mercenaries have been moving out of Hyrule. I don't like to jump to conclusions, but I would imagine the money has ceased to be enticing. It seems that Hyrule has been putting up a good fight, and it looks to only get harder for Marcus."

A wave of relief flooded Zelda, and she found herself unable to speak as Ralis left the room. Her mind was racing with ideas.

_We should attack now! Marcus will be weak, and the only thing he will have left to protect him is whatever is left of the Hylian military, which will most likely be loyal to me. It won't even be a battle._

"I have to tell Erwin." She whispered, leaping up and running out the door. For a human who didn't want to get soaked, the trip the river took nearly an hour, and only after she arrived did she realize that the general had probably already been told this information.

The river certainly housed over a thousand troops. Probably more. The soldiers cheered and whooped when they saw Zelda, sending shivers up her spine. They all seemed to be in good spirits, despite the hard times. Many had even brought their families with them, and the wives and children had made themselves busy doing chores and making the banks of the river more comfortable to live on.

"Zelda!" Erwin yelled when he saw her. "You've heard the news?"

"Yes!" Zelda said, hugging the older man. "Do you think we can take the castle back?"

"I don't know." Rommel said honestly. "There may be troops that are loyal to Marcus, and we don't have enough men to fight off any surprises."

Zelda deflated slightly, but kept her smile up for the sake of the soldiers watching the conversation.

"How long do you think we're going to have to wait until we're ready?" She asked.

"At the rate soldiers are showing up, we should be ready within a week." Erwin said.

Zelda nodded.

"Then let's begin preparing for a battle."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The following week passed slowly, with more soldiers showing up each day than the day before. Before half the week had passed, over five thousand men were patrolling Zora's Domain and the river, and by the end there were over nine thousand. Zora guerilla groups who had been attacking the fleeing mercenaries were bringing back massive amounts of supplies. Marcus looked to be all but defeated. It would only be a matter of time.

"Let's assume that the troops guarding the castle right now are loyal to Brutus." Erwin said. Zelda, Rommel, and the other officers who had arrived were gathered in a command tent stationed upriver from the general gathering place of the troops. Colonel Livingston, the officer that Link had met in Hyrule Field, had shown up during Zelda's absence. Lieutenant Allen was in a corner with Gino the eagle nibbling on his ear affectionately. A few other lieutenants and captains had gathered as well, but it looked as if most of the officers had been forced to stay in Castle Town or their respective forts.

"If that's the case, which is only a worst-case scenario." Erwin continued. "There will be at least three thousand men fighting us from heavily fortified positions. Now, the princess and I know more than a few secret routes into Castle Town and the castle itself, since it was built exactly like its predecessor. All of the secret tunnels and passageways were kept intact and removed from the blueprints. The builders working on them were all sworn to secrecy and known supporters of the princess. That means that, in theory, Marcus has no idea where most of those passageways are."

"Assuming that, we're going to create a diversion on the outside while the bulk of our force enters the castle through eight separate tunnels. That way, we maximize the chances of making it in. If we only go in through two or three tunnels, then there's a chance that Marcus will be able to stop a large percentage of our forces."

"Although it's quite a risk, Princess Zelda has insisted that she be a part of the battle to take back the castle." Erwin said, looking over to where Zelda stood. "She knows how to handle a blade, and Master Link will be with her. He's been making an astoundingly fast recovery, and I believe he will be battle-ready within the next few days. He will lead one of the eight groups through the tunnel that is closest to the throne room in the hopes that Marcus will be there. The rest of you will be assigned to one of the nine fighting fronts we have going in, and given an appropriate dispersion of troops."

"General." Lieutenant Allen cut in carefully. "Gino brought me this earlier, and I just now remembered that it was in my pocket. I thought you should have a look at it."

Erwin turned and took a small, crumpled flyer from the Lieutenant's hands. It was dirty, and looked slightly waterlogged, but the writing on the front was still intact.

_By the decree of His Highness King Marcus I:_

_On the thirtieth day of September, this one thousand and twelfth year of the Second Age, the public executions of all members of the old council will take place in Castle Town Square. All citizens of Hyrule shall attend, under punishment of death. _

"That's in three days!" Zelda said, scowling. "I can't believe he's publicly executing the council members. Public executions haven't been held in over six hundred years."

Erwin sighed. "Thank you, Allen. This certainly changes things. We have to decide now whether or not we're going to help the councilors. Ideas anyone?"

"Let 'em hang." Colonel Livingston replied immediately. "Whole lot of good they did us. They might as well have rolled out the red carpet for Brutus."

"But weren't there only thirteen of them in his circle?" Allen asked.

"Doesn't matter." A captain said in the back of the tent. "They allowed it to happen, and now it backfired."

"But didn't he throw most of them in jail in the first place?" Zelda asked. The room went quiet at the sound of her voice. "Only thirteen of them aside from Marcus were actually guilty of treason. Is it right to let the others hang because of the actions of a small minority?"

Most of the officers in the tent looked down at their feet shamefully, and nobody dared speak.

"Then it's decided that we're going to save them." Erwin said after a few moments. "Unfortunately, Marcus may be using this to draw us out. He'll expect an attempt, at least."

"We all made a commitment to do what is right and just." Allen said. "It was in our commissioning oath, and it was even in the oath Princess Zelda took when she ascended to the throne. It's also in the oath that she'll take when she is crowned queen. That being said, I don't see why any of us would hesitate to save the councilors and let them be tried in the courts."

Most of the room nodded in agreement, although there were a few disapproving glares.

_They're going to have to get over it. _Zelda thought. _I'm not going to let eighty-seven innocents die just because thirteen others betrayed them. That's senseless slaughter._

Another idea poked at the back of her mind, though.

"How many of you are unhappy with this turn of events?" She asked. There was a slight pause before she continued. "With this execution, I mean."

A couple of the officers met her eyes for a moment, but then looked back down.

"My point is that nobody is happy about this. We're having to go in and fight with a small force of men relying on a plan that was thrown together in a matter of days. I think we're all in agreement that the council is certainly a despicable group of men, and that it's waist-deep in corruption."

"But we have to think beyond our initial reaction." She continued. "I'd like you all to think of the sacrifices you made getting here. Some of you even had loved ones killed or captured because of this war. There's already been so much unnecessary bloodshed. Why should we inflict that kind of pain on the innocent councilors and their families?"

Again, the room was enveloped in a thick silence. Zelda, feeling that her point had been made, stepped back into the corner.

Erwin took a few moments before speaking.

"We move out as soon as possible, preferably by tonight. Most of the soldiers brought weapons and armor with them, and the Zoras have been bringing back quite a bit from the mercenary caravans that they have been raiding. I'm assigning each of you a unit with an equal distribution of the types of soldiers you need. I'll also be sending out maps of the tunnels and Hyrule Castle. Remember, we're not trying to kill anyone. If we could take the castle back without having to draw a single sword, that would be ideal."

There was a murmur of understanding around the room, and the officers filed out of the tent to prepare. When the last one had left, Erwin turned to Zelda and sighed.

"This is an absolute nightmare." He said. "I think the plan is solid, but it's not going to be easy. We have to arrive before the execution, which will already be a stretch. It's not easy to move an army across Hyrule Field without being seen. On top of that, there's no guarantee that we're going to be able to find Brutus once we get there. If he gets word of our plans, he's going to be in hiding."

"This seems gutsy." Zelda commented. "It's fairly obvious that he dismissed the mercenaries, and yet he's basically inviting us to attack him. Do you think he has something under his sleeve?"

"It's always a possibility. We have to be ready for anything. How is Link feeling?"

"Better." Zelda said, but chewed on her lip nervously. "He's not ready to fight, though. He can't even run yet. His wounds still hurt him too much."

Erwin sighed and carefully folded up the map of Hyrule Castle on the table.

"He's going to have to fight. We need him. These soldiers need him. He has as much, if not more, influence on morale than even you."

Zelda leaned against the back of the tent and nodded.

"Go get him up and moving. Have him drink whatever potions are needed, and take the most powerful painkillers he can find. He needs to swing his sword a few times, as well. Please make sure he's prepared to fight."

"I will." Zelda said. Erwin was one of very few people in Hyrule who could tell her what to do, and he rarely took advantage of that. When he did, she always listened and followed his directions as best she could. He always knew what he was talking about. If he thought that having Link at the battle was vital, then it probably was.

With that, she left the tent and walked back to the Domain to break the news.

**BREAK**

"Just a few more swings." Link muttered, sweating hard as he swung the Master Sword.

"Link, I'll just tell Erwin that you can't-"

"No." Link said, cutting Zelda off. "I won't ever get better if I don't fight through the pain."

Zelda sighed and sat back against a large boulder. Link had jumped at the chance to get out of bed, and started hacking away at a practice dummy immediately. Although his arrow wound was halfway healed, it was still incredibly painful. He was certainly in no condition to go into battle.

"Men." Zelda muttered, shaking her head. Link took another sip of his painkilling potion and whipped his sword around his head again, embedding it deep in the torso of the overused wood dummy.

"Okay, that's enough." He muttered, yanking the sword out of the notch it had made and sheathing it. "I guess I need to save some energy for the trip."

"You shouldn't even be making a trip. This is ridiculous." Zelda huffed. "You're obviously in no condition to be doing this."

"And yet here I am." Link replied casually, brushing off Zelda's annoyance. "If General Rommel thinks that this is a good idea, it probably is. I can fight through the pain temporarily. Who knows? Biting the pain and doing something might help me heal."

"I don't think that this counts as one of those types of injuries." Zelda said. "You took an arrow to the gut. What if those sutures come out in battle? You'll get an infection, and I don't think any amount of surgery will help that."

"That's enough." Link replied calmly. "Whether or not you like it, I'm fighting in the battle. Marcus is one of the best swordsmen in Hyrule, so you're going to need help. If everything goes according to plan, we're going to be coming out of the tunnel that basically leads into the throne room. That means that we're going to be fighting Marcus ourselves."

Zelda sighed, but otherwise didn't respond.

"Zelda?" Link asked quietly, moving up behind her and resting a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" She grumbled.

"What were you trying to say the other day? When I woke up and talked to you that first time after I got injured, you ran off. I could tell something was on your mind, and it seemed important."

_Goddesses. _Zelda thought, blushing deeply. _I couldn't have made it any more obvious._

She remained silent for a few moments, contemplating. They were alone in a small training yard, completely separated from the chaos going on below in the Domain. They were leaving tonight to go to battle in which they could easily be captured or killed. This would be their last chance alone until then.

_How am I going to feel later if I don't talk to him about this?_

And yet her tongue was tied. She had never had this kind of conversation before, and certainly not with someone like Link. She had no idea what to expect, or even what to say.

"It's nothing, Link." She muttered, settling the issue with a small sigh.

_It wouldn't work between us anyways. _She thought glumly.

Link sighed in return, but took his hand from her shoulder.

"All right." He replied. "I'm going to go get something to eat. I'll see you tonight, I guess."

"Yeah." Zelda whispered, watching his back as he walked back down the path to the Domain. Once he was out of sight, she flopped down in the grass and lay down.

_Why am I so incompetent? _She wondered, groaning in frustration. _I'm the ruler of a country. I spent three quarters of my life dealing with corrupt politicians and aristocrats who would love nothing more than to slip a dagger in between my ribs. I never batted an eye at them. And yet, faced with the thought of telling a man I have feelings for him, I'm completely useless. _

For a few minutes, she lay there, content with moping. A small rustle in the grass interrupted her thoughts, however. Zelda raised her head, instinctively reaching for her sword.

"It's just me." Justin said, stepping back slightly. He had sounded quite a bit further away, but Zelda attributed that fact to his obvious skills in stealth and shadow. His appearance was more of a surprise, anyways. She hadn't heard from the Sheikah since her return.

"Were you here the whole time?" Zelda asked, standing up.

"What 'whole time' are you referring to?" Justin asked. "The whole time that you've been here in the Domain, or the whole time that you've been in this training yard?"

Zelda contemplated before speaking again.

"Let's say both."

"Well then, the answer would be no to both scenarios." Justin said. "I believe you saw me in the throne room when you returned, but I left that evening to scout out the details of the execution. In regards to being here in the training yard, I only just arrived. I spoke with Link as he left a minute ago."

Relief flooded through Zelda. She had thought that she and Link had been alone, and had preferred it that way. Another thought occurred to her, though.

"We didn't know about that execution until today." She said, squinting slightly at the Sheikah. "Why did you leave to investigate seven days before we knew about this and not tell us? How did you even know about it?"

"I know many things." Justin replied cryptically. "Unfortunately, I can't share a lot of those things."

"But that could have given us an extra week to prepare! All we have now is a single day!"

"I have my reasons." Justin said with a shrug. "Please do not doubt my intentions or loyalty. It is of no consequence to the end state of this battle that your soldiers only had a single day to prepare."

"Yes it is!" Zelda snapped, but Justin stopped her.

"Your majesty, please. I have important information. At least hear it out before getting onto me."

Zelda seethed, and turned around to get some air. She took a few steps away and stopped. Justin's whole situation was strange. The man had appeared randomly, and seemed to disappear randomly, as well. He knew information that would have helped her, but had failed to disclose it. He was mysterious, to say the least.

_Untrustworthy? _She wondered to herself, but pushed the idea away. If Justin were untrustworthy, he had had multiple opportunities either to kill her or simply let her die. The first thing he did was save her life and most of her left arm. The idea of him being untrustworthy had very little solid fact underneath it.

"What do you need to tell me?" Zelda asked finally, controlling her emotions.

"Thank you." Justin said. "Your plan to attack Marcus in the throne room will not work. He's going to be attending the public execution, and unless you make extremely good time there, it's going to be too late. Moving nine thousand fully equipped men across Hyrule Field and into the castle in three days is impossible."

"Well then what do we do?" Zelda asked.

"I would suggest you get a small contingent of skilled soldiers moving now. A large will take too long, by which time the councilors will all be dead, and more tragic consequences will follow."

"What tragic consequences? Is there anything besides the obvious?"

"Yes." Justin said. "I can't tell you anything for certain, but I sensed a great shift in dark energy right after Marcus fired the mercenaries. And then, only a few minutes later, he issued an order to have all the old councilors executed, one which the Hylian soldiers were more than happy to follow. I don't know exactly what's going on, but I have a bad feeling about it."

The thought worried Zelda enough to push aside her discontentment with Justin's lack of communication.

"Do you know anything else?" She asked quietly.

"Only that Marcus now carries a strange staff." Justin replied. "To the naked eye, it is nothing more than a walking stick. However, I know that Marcus is only in his early forties and has never needed a walking stick before. There's no reason why I should sense a shift in dark energy, and then Marcus returns to the throne room with a staff and immediately orders the public executions of one hundred councilors. It's too coincidental."

"Yes, I agree." Zelda replied. "Is there anything more?"

"If you're going to follow my advice, I would like to accompany the smaller party you send to the castle. I can move quickly, and if the attack required a surprise assassination, I would be more than willing to provide that service."

"Permission granted." Zelda said. "Go get packed up. We're leaving in an hour. I'm going to go tell Link."

**BREAK**

The trip out of the Domain was rushed, and Erwin decided to only take five hundred men. Should they fail, the rest of the officers had been left behind to carry out the initially planned strike. As it stood, however, every Special Forces soldier, as well as most of the men who had received extra training accompanied them. Fortunately, a large group of forest rangers had shown up a few days before, and had made a fantastic addition to their ranks.

"At this pace, we're going to reach the Castle right before the executions happen. I'm glad we set out now with a small group. I had vastly underestimated the travel time involved in this trip." Erwin said to Link as they rode down the banks of the river. The two had not met until the evening before, but were quickly warming up to each other. Erwin was essentially Link plus thirty years of age.

"What's the plan now?" Link asked. "Obviously the old one went out the window."

"Yes, it did." Erwin replied. "I think that we're going to all go through the tunnel into the prison and occupy the castle before anything. If Marcus is out, the most important thing is to get ourselves into an advantageous position within the castle. Obviously, that's the most defensible spot should he have gained the loyalty of his men."

"Good idea." Link agreed. "We may only have a few men, but if we shut the castle off, it's nearly impenetrable. Numbers wouldn't matter. But what are we going to do about Marcus himself?"

"I believe your friend Justin has already offered to take care of that small matter." Erwin said, looking around for the Sheikah. "I don't see him at the moment, though."

"He has a tendency to do that." Zelda cut in. "Don't worry about it."

Erwin paused, but nodded. "I'll take your word on that. Do we know who he is? It doesn't seem like anyone knows anything about him."

Link and Zelda shared a slightly embarrassed look behind the older man's back.

"No, not really." Link admitted. "He just sort of showed up in a prison wagon, but I have no idea how the hell he managed to get captured with his skill set. It was almost like he knew that we were going to get him out of it. Then he immediately saved Zelda's life, and has been feeding us information ever since."

"Can we trust him just because he saved your life?" Erwin asked.

There was another awkward pause.

"I don't know." Zelda said finally. "He hasn't done anything but help us so far. The problem is that we don't really know why he's helping us. He won't even tell us where he's from, what he's doing, or why he's here. The only things we know about him are the things we can see."

"All things will be answered in time."

Zelda nearly shrieked at the sound of Justin's voice right behind her. She clenched her fists and turned around to see the Sheikah riding a horse only a few feet behind them. His eyes betrayed nothing.

"Was that really necessary?" She asked.

"You have no need to worry about my intentions, Rommel." Justin said, ignoring the question. "I don't reveal details because that is the way of the Sheikah. The _goal _of the Sheikah, however, is very clear. Protect the royal family of Hyrule at all costs. I am the only Sheikah, and therefore I have made it my duty to follow the goal my ancestors set before me. Your people have not known a real Sheikah since the age of the Hero of Time, and even then she was forced to die to take her place as the Sage of Shadow. If the Sheikah had survived, you would not be concerned in the slightest about my intentions, because you would know that loyalty and duty are part of the core values of our training."

"I've heard of the Sheikah." Erwin replied. "What I wonder is how you were trained in the way of shadow if there aren't any of your kind left. Who trained you?"

"That's one of the many secrets of the Sheikah."

Erwin grumbled something unintelligible to himself, but shrugged off the response.

"At least tell me what you're planning on doing to Marcus." He said.

"I'm going to get that staff out of his possession." Justin said simply.

Zelda nodded and glanced at Erwin. He nodded as well.

"Well then." Justin said. "I'm going to go on ahead and scout out the execution stage that is most likely going to be erected. I'll find a good place to hide out and wait for Marcus. What are your orders for when I get my hands on him, general? Princess, that question extends to you as well."

"I'll defer to Erwin on this one." Zelda said.

Erwin nodded in appreciation. "Don't go for the kill unless absolutely necessary. Remember, we're saving these councilors to prove a point that everyone deserves a fair trial; killing Marcus would be hypocritical. Do you have any kind of toxin to put him asleep? That would be ideal, but I understand that that's not exactly a common thing to carry around."

"You underestimate me, General." Justin said. Zelda could almost imagine the small smirk underneath the Sheikah's mask. "I am not just an assassin. I'm an expert in everything involving stealth."

"I'll take that as a yes, then." Erwin said. "What are you planning to do with him once he's out, though?"

"I can disappear." Justin replied with a shrug.

"I see. Well then, if all goes as planned, we'll be holed up in the castle waiting for you. If it comes down to the wire and you're not able to take care of Marcus until the moment the execution is going to happen, get the executioner. If there's multiple executioners, use your imagination."

"Will do." Justin said. "I'll see you in a couple days. Take care."

A bright flash of light startled Zelda, and she turned around to find Justin and his horse gone.

"You know, he reminds me of all the stories of Sheik and the Hero of Time Rusl used to tell me." Link said, looking at the now-empty spot where the Sheikah had just occupied. "They say that she disappeared with a flash of light, and that it was impossible to find her unless she wanted you to. Which was funny, considering that she wasn't actually a Sheikah."

"But hey, at least I know it's not you. The Hero of Time didn't have that luxury. How surprised he was." He added to Zelda with a grin.

Zelda laughed a little at that, but couldn't shake a foreboding feeling.

_Something is going to go wrong with this. _She thought.

But it was useless worrying. Although her gut feeling was almost never wrong, she had no choice but to push it away. If everything went according to plan, this would work out just fine.

But in war, nothing ever went as planned.

**BREAK**

"We're running late." Link muttered to himself, tapping his foot as he watched the soldiers pack up the camp hurriedly. They had been traveling for three days, and Castle Town was still over three hours away. Conveniently, the execution started in four.

"That leaves us one hour to get inside the castle, take it over, and get into defensive positions." He continued, clearly frustrated. "Whose genius idea was it to get up this late?"

"It's five in the morning, Link." Zelda murmured, yawning loudly. "One hour will be fine. I don't think we're going to face much resistance. Hell, I bet most of them will be ecstatic to see us."

"We can't assume." Erwin said from behind them. "You never want to assume during battle."

Much to Link's satisfaction, the hastily put together camp was completely packed up within a matter of minutes. The group traveled the next few hours in contemplative silence, unsure of how the next few hours would go. Many realized that there was a good chance they wouldn't be alive at the end of the day if things went south.

The entrance of the tunnel leading into the prison was still slightly open, an afterthought Zelda had had when she left through it initially. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to spot the large stone door.

"One hour and forty-five minutes." Link said as they pushed their way into the darkness. "We need to hurry."

**BREAK**

Marcus was nearly quivering in excitement, but he forced himself to calm down. All one hundred councilors stood before him on a raised wooden platform. It had been specifically constructed to hang all one hundred at once. Ten rows of ten nooses stood waiting above the mens' heads, and it looked as if many had resigned themselves to their fates. A few were shaking in fear, and one had defecated himself, but it was of no consequence. Their cries for mercy would not deter Brutus from discovering the power of the staff he held in his hand.

_I will have you soon. An hour and a half, my sweet._ He thought, stroking the knotted wood.

The crowds had already begun to assemble. A few young men were gaggling near the front, whispering excitedly. Most of the residents, however, looked glum and defeated. Guards had been sent all over Hyrule over the past week to make sure that every citizen attended the death of their old country. With this execution, Marcus was taking a massive step towards stamping out the remnants of Hyrule, and the people seemed to be rallying behind him for this event. It was obvious that they hated their councilors.

Soon, he would even change the name of the country and burn the history books. After Princess Zelda was captured and executed, he would erase all mementos of her and her family lineage. The Royal Family of Hyrule would only exist in illegal tales told orally to each new generation. Within a hundred years, most of the citizens would never have even heard of Princess Zelda.

A chill swept over the false king's spine and he turned around. Although he was standing on a raised platform, well above any danger posed by the citizens, he hadn't been able to shake to feeling that someone more sinister than the average disapproving mother was watching him.

_It's just nerves. _He thought, turning back around to watch the proceedings. Guards were carefully watching the square, anyways. Nothing would get by them and climb up the platform before being shot down. Even in that case, Marcus had his sword.

He checked the sun again, clucking his tongue impatiently.

_We need to get this show on the road._

**BREAK**

Erwin heaved, groaning from the effort of trying to open the massive prison door. A few younger soldiers moved up to help him, while others waited below with their weapons at the ready. Link and Zelda would be the first two to climb through the top of the passageway, and Erwin would bring up the rear.

"Remember, the first order of business is to take the throne room." Link called out as Erwin fought with the door. "It's the most defensible position for a small group. Next, find your platoon leaders and take over your assigned walls of the castle. From there, we can provide basic ranged support for the men guarding the front gate. Most importantly, remember that we don't want to kill anyone unless absolutely necessary. If they attack you, don't hesitate. But if they surrender or begin to fight for us, allow them to do so."

A silent nod of affirmation went through the gathered soldiers, and torchlight flooded the dark tunnel as the soldiers at the top of the rickety stairs managed to get the stone trap door open.

As silently as possible, Link and Zelda slipped past Erwin, followed by the first platoon. The prison was completely empty, save for three terrified Hylian guards.

"Surrender now and spare your lives." Link said, drawing his sword. The other soldiers had begun to pour out of the ground behind him. The prison guards didn't hesitate, drawing their swords and throwing them to the ground.

"Let's go." Link said, pulling the cork out of a half-filled bottle of potion mixed with a pain-killing herb. He drained it and dropped the empty bottle to the ground.

Quickly but quietly, the group poured into passages. A collapse in the tunnel had pushed their progress far behind schedule, and the execution was scheduled to happen in only twenty-five minutes. By that time, the castle needed to be completely under their control.

_Let's just hope that this continues going smoothly. _Link thought to himself as he ascended a flight of stairs.

Not a single soldier was to be found on the way up to the throne room. Every hallway was empty, and the slightly risky task of passing the guard quarters proved harmless. With seventeen minutes left until the execution, the soldiers lined up outside the rear throne room doors.

"Here we go." Link called out softly. "Don't assume that there won't be anyone in here. For all we know, they've got an ambush waiting for us. Keep your wits about you, and be prepared to fight."

"It's locked." Erwin called out, testing the handles.

"Of course it is." Link said, pushing his way up to the doors and pulling out a ring of lock picks. "Give me a minute."

After a few minutes of fiddling with the keyholes, he sighed and shook his head.

"It's too well made." He said, drawing the Master Sword. "Time to try something else."

With a grunt, he smashed the hilt of his blade into the handle, sending it clattering to the floor.

"Well that's not exactly inconspicuous." Erwin said. Zelda drew her sword.

"Everyone ready?" Link asked. A nod went around the hallway.

"Good. Let's go."

With that, he kicked in the doors and charged into the throne room.

**BREAK**

"Ten minutes." Marcus muttered as the guard on the house across from him signaled the time. Ten minutes separated him and complete control over Hyrule.

_You're running out of time, Princess. _He sneered to himself. He had come to the conclusion over the past hour that the public execution would at least draw Link out of hiding, if not Zelda herself. It looked as if that idea had fallen through, much to his disappointment.

Of course, Link and Zelda wouldn't know about what he was holding in his hands. Marcus had said nothing of the mystical staff to anyone, preferring to keep the secret to himself. Part of the reason was that he didn't know what was going to happen. He was simply relying on the word of the magician he had spoken with a week earlier.

"Are you ready?"

Marcus jumped as a voice whispered in his ear. He wheeled around, his sword halfway out of the sheath before he realized nothing was there.

_Just my mind playing tricks on me. _He thought, tentatively sheathing his blade and turning back around. Many of the people down on the street were staring at him.

"I don't know what you're looking at!" He yelled down into the crowd, causing some of the people to jump. Everyone averted their eyes from him. They soon had something else to focus on, which Marcus was grateful for.

The hooded executioner stood up from his chair, causing the tens of thousands of people packed in the square to hush. Slowly, he walked over to the councilors, who had been placed on top of barrels with nooses around their necks. For hours, the growing crowd had been jeering them, and some even reverted to throwing trash onto the platform. The people didn't support Marcus and his ambitions, but they blamed the council for his ascent to power. To them, the councilors were directly responsible for the country's troubles.

The jeering picked up again as the executioner tightened the nooses slightly, making sure that the men couldn't escape in the next few minutes. With their hands bound behind their backs, and sacks placed over their heads, such a feat would be nearly impossible. It never hurt to be sure, though.

_Are you ready, Marcus?_

Brutus jumped again, shivering as the voice filtered through his mind. He took a moment to inspect the staff again, wondering if it was the cause of the voices he had been hearing lately. They had started before he had met the mysterious magician, but had certainly gotten worse since then.

Marcus took a moment to calm his nerves. The guard at the other end of the square signaled that five minutes were left, and the executioner moved to take his post.

_If you lied to me, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth. _He thought, hoping that the magician could hear him.

There was no response.

_Time to give a speech._

**BREAK**

The throne room was completely empty.

"Are you serious?" Link growled, shaking his head.

To all appearances, the castle had been left completely unguarded. Not even a skeleton crew was manning basic duties. No servants were cleaning or running errands. There was nothing to stop the small force from taking the most defensible place in Hyrule.

"Find your platoon leaders and get to your assigned positions!" Erwin called out to the soldiers behind him. "You have less than ten minutes before the execution is supposed to happen. Make it quick."

The soldiers scrambled, assembling into their hastily assigned platoons and setting out to their guard positions. Over half the men were posted on the walls, in the event that the Hylian military wasn't as loyal as Zelda thought they would be.

"What am I supposed to do?" Zelda asked Link.

Link shrugged and sheathed his sword. "I suppose we'll wait here and accept Marcus's surrender when Justin brings him. And if Justin doesn't make it back like planned, we'll improvise. I would expect a battle if that happens."

"Great." Zelda muttered. Her track record for battles in the throne room wasn't good.

"Don't be such a sour puss." Link said, grinning. "If we have a battle, that means that all the councilors are dead, and we'll get to kill Marcus. How great would that be?"

Zelda simply rolled her eyes.

"Link!" Erwin yelled. Link and Zelda both turned to look at him from where he was standing by the main doors.

"What?" Link asked.

"Marcus is speaking. Our time must be different than his, because that usually starts five minutes before the execution. Get Zelda to safety."

"No." Zelda said immediately. "I will _not _stay out of this battle. I have my magic, and I can use a sword."

"Zelda…" Link started hesitantly.

"Don't even try."

Link shrugged and shook his head at Erwin, who sighed and muttered something unintelligible before leaving.

"Well then." Link said. "Let's get in a good position to fight from."

**BREAK**

The crowd was certainly riled up at seeing their councilors about to die. The reaction to the speech was more muffled than Marcus had hoped for, but it would do for now.

The guard at the other end of the square signaled that thirty seconds were left. The councilors were more visibly terrified now, even with their hoods on, and had not been given a chance to speak their last words. A few were talking to each other, most likely attempting some sort of consolement and closure.

Twenty-five seconds left, and the executioner cracked his knuckles. He tested the lever slightly and, seeing that it would move easily, nodded to himself.

Twenty seconds left, and Marcus smiled to himself. Link and Zelda had not shown up yet, and had very little time to stop the proceedings if they were planning on doing just that.

Fifteen seconds left, and still nothing had gone wrong. The people in the crowd were wringing their hands nervously.

Ten seconds left.

Five.

And then the brightest flash Marcus had ever experienced in his life accompanied an ear-splitting crack. The platform underneath his feet shifted, and he watched in slow motion as the executioner dropped to the ground.

_NO! _The magician's voice screamed in his head, but it didn't register in Brutus's mind, instead taking a backseat to the rush of panic. He slipped on the now moving platform and grabbed the edge. Slowly, it cracked underneath his feet and leaned in towards the crowd.

"Gods, no!" Marcus screamed, holding on for dear life. The platform was over forty feet above the ground. It would not be an easy landing.

Another flash blinded him momentarily, and he found himself surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke. The platform had stopped moving. Marcus looked up, but couldn't see anything. He reached around, and found himself on solid ground.

_How…?_

His thoughts were interrupted by a prick in the back of his neck.

"Lights out, bitch."

**BREAK**

"There's a lot of commotion down there." Erwin said. He, Link, and Zelda were standing in the front door of the castle, watching the square intently. Smoke had erupted all over the gathered crowd, and bright flashes of light had sent the people reeling. Marcus's giant wooden platform had keeled over, and they had seen Justin leap from a nearby rooftop and pull him off right before he hit the ground.

The attack had been successful.

"Move out." Link called back to the group of soldiers waiting in the throne room. Erwin had made an impromptu decision to send some of the men down to maintain control and get the councilors off of their nooses. Link had volunteered to lead the soldiers.

"Be safe, Link." Zelda said. He nodded, pushed out of the door, and set off at a jog with the column of volunteers.

The path to the square was littered with fleeing residents, many who were still dazed and confused from the commotion in the square. The soldiers gently pushed them away, and burst into the square. Justin had pulled Marcus onto a nearby roof, and the area was in total chaos. Most of the guards were simply trying to keep the citizens in control, but a few were firing arrows at Justin.

"Take care of them." Link yelled out, pointing his sword at the attacking guards. The loyal soldiers charged into the crowd, tackling the guards to the ground and beating them unconscious.

Link ran up to the platform that the councilors were still tied up on. The executioner lay unconscious only inches from the lever that would have killed all one hundred men in one pull.

_Well this is a mess. _He thought. He knew that thirteen of the men were disloyal to Hyrule, and would stab him in the back given the opportunity. On the other hand, leaving all of them up there would be a recipe for disaster. It didn't take an executioner to pull that lever.

On the south end of the square, a riot had broken out among the gathered crowd. The people were hitting, kicking, scratching, or otherwise trying to kill anyone they could get their hands on. Link's soldiers stepped back from the carnage, knowing better than to try to deal with this situation. Instead, they retreated to the execution platform and formed a ring around it, just as Erwin had instructed in the event that this happened. Such actions had been very popular during public executions when they had still been held in Hyrule.

Slowly, the riot began moving towards the platform, and the men forming the protective ring waved their swords in a clear warning.

"Hold them off at all costs!" Link yelled, sweating slightly as the ring tightened. If the rioters attacked, their sheer numbers would overwhelm the soldiers. He had only brought fifty down to the square, and even though Hylian guards were joining his ranks, he would never be able to get the manpower he needed. There had to be over five hundred rioters.

A bright flash blinded the crowd momentarily, but they didn't slow their advance on the platform. Non-participants who didn't get out of the way in time were stampeded.

"More men to the front!" Link yelled, brandishing his sword towards the direction that was in danger.

"We can't!" One of the soldiers yelled behind him. Link turned around.

"You've got to be kidding me." He muttered. An even larger riot was forming at the other end of the square. This one had almost twice the numbers, and was growing quickly.

_Let them die._

Link almost didn't hear the voice in his head, but it spoke again.

_Leave the councilors. Let them die._

"What the hell?" He muttered, shaking his head.

_They mean nothing to Hyrule. Let them die._

"Who are you?" He asked aloud, thankful that nobody could hear him over the turmoil.

_Let them die._

Link shivered, feeling a sudden rush of cold pass down his spine. The voice was distant, yet distinctly familiar. It sounded like…

"Zelda?" He asked tentatively.

_Yes! I order you to leave the platform. Pull the soldiers back, and let the citizens have their way. Let the councilors die._

"That's not…"

_Do it!_

Link hesitated. He had heard Zelda's voice in his head before, but it hadn't actually been her. She had helped him, though. The voice had directed him to where the real Zelda was hiding. That same voice had pulled him out of a nightmare.

_That same voice ordered me to execute Marcus in a dream, even though he hadn't had a trial._

"No." Link said. More soldiers could be seen running from the castle to help put down the riot.

_WHAT?!_

"I didn't stutter." Link said aloud. Both riots were quickly converging on the platform.

_That is an order!_

"The Zelda I know would never give me that kind of order."

A searing pain ripped across Link's stomach, causing him to cry out in pain and drop to a knee.

_YOU WILL NOT DEFY ME_

"No." Link said, groaning and pushing himself back to his feet. "You will not prevent me from doing what's right, demon."

For a moment, there was total silence.

_You will regret this decision, Hero of Light._

With that, the voice was gone. The riot, however, was not. More and more people had joined in, and now the large group had broken into a run, throwing guards and bystanders away as they charged for the platform.

"Kill them!"

"They don't deserve to live!"

"Pull that lever!"

Link looked down at the lever, and then back to the riot. There was no way he could hold it off with the men he had with him. They would likely all die trying to protect the men who done nothing as Marcus took the throne of Hyrule.

_Marcus. _He thought, looking around. Justin was still on the same rooftop that he had dragged the false king onto, and seemed occupied trying to get a staff out of his hand.

_Why is he worried about that staff? _Link thought, anger boiling up inside of him. _Marcus is out for a while. I need his help._

"Justin!" He yelled, but his voice was drowned out by the ever-closer riot.

And then, like a tsunami smashing into land, the rioters hit the line of guards. Neither side had mercy on the other, with most of the soldiers hacking into the protestors mercilessly. Violent riots were capital offenses in Hyrule's law books, and guards were allowed to do everything possible to protect themselves.

"Goddesses." Link muttered. The entire scene was senseless carnage, and yet there was nothing he could do about it. The rioters would kill the guards if they didn't defend themselves, and would then proceed to kill the councilors.

"Link!" He heard over the crowd. He looked up to where Justin was standing, waving at him erratically. The Sheikah pointed at the staff, which seemed to be stuck in Marcus's hand.

_What's this about? _He thought.

"Get those councilors out of there!"

_What does he think I'm trying to do? Does he think I'm an idiot?_

On the other side of the platform, the smaller riot converged on the soldiers, getting hacked down just as quickly as their comrades on the other side. For the moment, the lines of soldiers were holding, and it looked like the momentum of the fight was changing as the rioters saw those in front of them being cut down.

"Get them out of there! There's more to this-"

A massive roar from the crowd blocked out Justin's voice. Near the ramp leading up to the top of the platform, three men had broken through. They were young, probably no older then fifteen or sixteen. Their age didn't sate their disdain of the councilors, though. The guard behind them had been knocked back, and one of the boys had a sword in hand.

"Stop them!" Justin yelled. The boys were headed straight for the lever, which Link was still standing next to.

"Stop!" Link yelled, brandishing his sword at them. The boys didn't stop. Instead, the one with the sword raised it and charged straight for him.

_Dear goddesses… _Link thought, panicking as he realized that he was going to have to fight a young boy. He stepped in between the lever and the teenagers, halting them momentarily. For what felt like an eternity, the two sides stared each other down.

"Stand down." Link said, dreading what would happen if they didn't. "I will not hesitate to kill you. This protest has gone too far."

"Get out of the way, _hero._" One of the boys spat. "We see how much good you've done us. First, you leave while that brute takes over the country, and then you show up and let your guards kill us so that you can defend these scum bags."

"I said stand down." Link repeated sternly.

The boy with the sword lunged, hoping to catch him off guard. Immediately, he found himself on the ground, disarmed. His sword clattered across the platform towards the edge of the wood.

"Get him!" One of the other two yelled, and both of the remaining boys charged him at once. As if they had planned the attack, the third boy lashed out furiously from the ground.

The sudden shift underneath Link's feet forced him to step back, but he grabbed an arm of one of the charging boys in the process. Using the boy's own momentum, he turned him around and threw him into the second. The teenager who had had the sword leaped to his feet, and Link slammed the hilt of his sword into his head. The boy dropped to the ground with a slight thump.

The other two, seeing their fallen comrade, scrambled and ran, jumping off of the platform and into the crowd.

"Link, look out!"

Link turned to look at Justin only a split second before he registered the large rock hurtling towards his head. Stars exploded across his vision, and he felt his legs buckle beneath him.

_Oh no… _He thought, feeling himself hit the ground. At seeing him go down, the rioters began pushing harder. A few of them had picked up weapons from the guards who had fallen.

Link groaned and wiped the blood from his eyes. The rock had split his forehead open, and it was bleeding profusely. His vision was blurry, and he was still seeing stars.

A few feet away, the teenager who he had knocked out only seconds before was stirring. He sat up, nursing the wound on his head that the hilt of the Master Sword had inflicted. Link, seeing a potential problem, tried to get up, but found his legs unresponsive.

_Am I paralyzed? _He thought with horror, pinching his leg to make sure that he could still feel it. The sharp pain abated his worst fears, so he turned back around. The teenage boy was crawling to his feet, groaning in pain.

"NO!" Link yelled, seeing him look at the lever. The boy ignored him and got a leg underneath himself, rising shakily from the ground.

Link scrambled desperately, but his legs were still numb, and the cut on his forehead was pouring blood into his eyes. Behind him, the line of guards broke, and the rioters poured onto the platform.

"Link!" He heard Justin yell, and saw that the Sheikah had left his post by Marcus. He would be too late, though. Fighting through the large crowd of rioters would take too long.

Unable to resign himself to the inevitable, Link still tried to push himself to his feet while the boy struggled towards the lever. The Master Sword was lying next to him, so he picked it up and used it as leverage. Finally, enough feeling returned to his feet and legs to stand up.

The line of guards in front broke, and the rioters poured in from that side. Link was surrounded.

_I'm going to die. _He thought. The realization brought strength back to his body, and he quickly wiped away the blood on his forehead.

_But not without a fight._

He charged at the teenager, lifting his sword to deliver a finishing blow. In the blink of an eye, the boy leaped out of the way, and turned around to face him.

His eyes were glowing bright red.

The sight made Link freeze, and shivers ran down his spine. This wasn't natural. The boy was possessed.

_How the hell-_

His thoughts were interrupted as one of the rioters slammed into his back, sending him tumbling to the ground. The Master Sword flew from his hands, clattering across the platform and falling off the edge. The possessed boy put his hand on the lever and smiled maniacally.

"This is how the world ends, hero." He said.

And then pulled.


End file.
